Apple will report its quarterly results on Tuesday, and CEO Tim Cook may need to dodge questions about the upcoming iPhone in order to allay concerns by shareholders. Reuters report that supplier sources in Japan and Taiwan, home to dozens of Apple suppliers, said they initially expected mass-production of the next iPhone to begin in June. However, Reuters claims that production may slip beyond June as Apple was trying to find a coating material that did not interfere with the fingerprint sensor, a new feature on the iPhone. Suppliers confirmed to Reuters that Apple is also developing a cheaper model, which can appeal to lower-income buyers in developing markets.
What Else You Need To Know
- Reuters says that that those in the supply chain industry often jokingly refer to Apple as "Poison Apple" because of its hard-to-meet high standards and low price expectations.
- Apple does not discuss upcoming products in its earnings conference calls.
- Fourteen analysts surveyed by Bloomberg are predicting that Apple's quarterly profits will shrink for the first time in a decade, hurt by products with lower profit margins and slower iPhone-sales growth.
Other sources
Of course, even if mass production starts in July or August, Apple can still launch the new iPhone in September – thus one year after it introduced the iPhone 5.- Florin, Unwired View
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