Is the iPhone 5S set to go on sale this Summer? Apple's latest handset 'set to make an early appearance and was approved by Steve Jobs'

• Apple believed to be developing two new handset - an iPhone 5S and a cheaper handset
• Believed production of the iPhone 5S set to start within weeks
• Expected to arrive with massive overhaul of Apple's iOS software
• Claims design was finalised while Steve Jobs was still alive
  

By Mark Prigg

Published: 07:24 EDT, 3 April 2013 | Updated: 10:35 EDT, 3 April 2013

Apple's next iPhone could go on sale in the summer, it has been claimed.

Sources close to the electronics giant say the handset, expected to be a speed-boosted version of the current iPhone 5 with new software, will begin production within weeks and go on sale in the summer.

This will break with Apple's traditional autumn unveiling of a new handset, and is likely to pave the way for a lower cost iPhone to be revealed later in the year.

Customers queue up to purchase the iPhone 5 smartphone at the Apple flagship store on George Street in Sydney, Australia. The firm is believed to be preparing to unveil the next version of the handset on 10th September and start selling it on the 20th

IS THE 5S A JOBS DESIGN?

Apple's next two iPhones had already been designed before Steve Jobs died in October 2011, it has been claimed.

At a meeting with the San Francisco district attorney, George Gascón, who is keen to cut phone thefts in the region, Apple's liaison officer Michael Foulkes is reported by the San Francisco Examiner to have said the designs for the next two phones 'preceded Tim Cook [being chief executive]'.

The new model is believed to look identical to the current iPhone 5 but include a faster processor and updated camera, according to online reports.

It will also run iOS 7, a major new version of Apple's iPad and iPhone software being overseen by Apple's Sir Jonathan Ive.

'Apple plans to begin production of a refreshed iPhone similar in size and shape to its current one in the second quarter of the year, according to people familiar with the device's production, teeing up a possible summer launch for the next version of its flagship device,' claims the Wall Street Journal.

'At the same time, Apple continues to work with its manufacturing partners in Asia on a less expensive iPhone that could be launched as soon as the second half of this year, these people said.'

The report is in line with the expectations of company watchers and Wall Street analysts.

The iPhone 5 costs around $600 in the US, and while Apple maintains older iPhones in production, even those aren't cheap enough to compete effectively against low-end smartphones running Google Inc.'s Android software. 

Apple does not comment on future products before its launch events.

Earlier this year it was claimed the iPhone 5S will be revealed in April and go on sale in August.

It also claims that new iPad models are set to be announced in April, including a new version of the firm's hugely successful iPad Mini with an upgraded screen.

Already obsolete? Two models display the Apple iPhone 5 during the product's release at a store in Taipei on December 14. An analyst has claimed production of the next iPhone 5S has begun and Apple will announce it an event in September

'iMore has learned that Apple is planning the release of the iPhone 5S for this summer, currently for August,' the site said.

'Next generation iPads, presumably the iPad 5 and potentially the iPad mini 2, may also debut as soon as this April,' it added.

'If these plans stick, we should be in for a fun spring and summer.'

It comes as Japanese Apple blog MacOtakara reported that Foxconn is starting to ramp up production of Apple's iPhone 5 successor, according to AppleInsider. 

It claims that because the design of the 'iPhone 5S' is substantially the same as the company's existing handset, little to no tooling is needed to manufacture the two models on the same production lines.

Leaked photo? This image purports to show the case of the new iPhone 5S. Published by French website Nowhereelese.fr, the differences in internal attachment points suggest an update to the latest Apple phone

The claims echo those made by Peter Misek of investment bank Jeffries earlier this year, who said Apple will begin making a new iPhone model in March for an expected launch in June or July.

Mr Misek predicted that iPhone sales could begin to drop as customers anticipate the arrival of the next model, but he nonetheless said he expects around 44 million to ship in the quarter to March.

'As word of the earlier production schedule starts to spread, we believe we could see a slight slowing of demand CQ1 in anticipation of the new product launch and Apple will likely start curtailing channel inventory,' he was quoted as saying by StreetInsider.

'Therefore we tweak down our CQ1 iPhone shipment estimate from 48M to 44M, which is still well above widespread fears of shipments in the mid-30Ms.'

The analyst's prediction of a summer launch date for the 5S is a reiteration of claims he made last month, when he said he expects the new phone to ship in various colours and with improved battery life.

On rumours of an entry-level iPhone, Mr Misek claimed Apple could release a low-cost device made of polycarbonate with no 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) capability.

The speculation seemed to contradict comments made by Phil Schiller, Apple's marketing chief, who recently told Chinese newspaper the Shanghai Evening News that 'despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this well never be the future of Apple's products.'