The iPhone 5 is just a few months old, yet rumors of its successor have already crawled their way out of the Apple Claim Chowder. According to a report from Chinese publication Commercial Times, Apple’s manufacturing partners are already preparing to begin trial production on the device next month.
DigiTimes reports:
Apple is expected to begin trial production of a new version of its iPhone 5, or iPhone 5S, in December with initial production volumes likely to top 50,000-100,000 units, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.
“Facing low yield rates in the production of iPhone 5, Apple has accelerated the certification processes for related parts and components for the iPhone 5S, the paper revealed.”
The sooner-than-expected production is reportedly due to Apple attempting to avoid production delats and certification, in order to increase supply at launch and avoid stock shortages.
It’s worth noting that both Commercial Times and DigiTimes have spotty track records, although the report does make a fair amount of sense. Most expect the next-gen iPhone to launch in Fall of 2013, keeping with the pattern set by the launch of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.
