iPhone 5S release date could be delayed due to issues with the device’s rumoured fingerprint sensor, meaning we could be waiting until September before the handset goes on sale.
According to a report, the iPhone 5S could miss its June launch target because Apple is attempting to find an appropriate coating material that doesn’t interfere with the fingerprint recognition technology.
Supplier sources in Taiwan and Japan initially expected mass production of the next iPhone to begin in June, but these issues are now causing delays.
Rumoured to only be a slight improvement upon the current iPhone 5, the iPhone 5S is said to include a slight specs upgrade, boosting the current CPU offering to a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and the rear camera to 12-megapixels.
The iPhone 5S is tipped to feature the same 4-inch screen as the iPhone 5, but will introduce new features like the rumoured fingerprint sensor to differentiate it from the current model.
It could also be one of the first handsets to be home to the next Apple OS, iOS 7.
A Japanese supplier source has told Reuters that a cheaper iPhone model is in development and could be on the market as soon as June. Small-scale production of display panels for the budget iPhone may begin in May, with mass production starting in June in line with a cheaper iPhone release date.
Also tipped to have the same 4-inch screen as the iPhone 5, the cheaper iPhone model is said to be 9mm thick and will launch in five colours, similar to the range offered by the new iPod Touch and iPod Nano models.
From leaked pictures, a cheaper iPhone 5 could look something like the iPhone 3GS, but with a flatter rear design.
Should we care about the potential for a cheaper iPhone launch? Read more about it here.
