Apple's iPhone 5 brought some significant changes to the lineup, and based off initial information, it looks like the next iPhone will introduce some even more game-changing options for consumers. New reports state that Apple is working on a cheaper version of the iPhone to be released in China and other markets.
Website DigiTimes got some insider information from supply-chain sources that Apple's cheaper iPhone will release in the second half of 2013.
"Some sources claimed that they have seen the sample of the low-cost iPhone, which will come with a larger display, meeting the prevailing trend for the adoption of 5-inch displays for high-end models. They added that the low-priced iPhone will also have a brand new exterior design," DigiTimes writes.
The sources also mentioned that Apple's success in China with cheaper products like the iPad Mini has prompted the Cupertino-based company to look more into an affordable line of iPhones.
The Wall Street Journal followed up with a report of its own confirming a low-cost iPhone in late 2013.
"The cheaper phone could resemble the standard iPhone, with a different, less-expensive body, one of the people said. One possibility Apple has considered is lowering the cost of the device by using a different shell made of polycarbonate plastic; in contrast, the iPhone 5 currently has an aluminum housing," The Wall Street Journal reports.
The next iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S, is expected to launch in the first half of 2013. Several analysts believe that Apple will be offering two different sizes of the next iPhone, and will release the handset in as many as eight different colors. One of the sizes, presumably, will be bigger than the current 4-inch iPhone 5. The iPhone 6 should also be coming with an improved HD display and camera, and NFC for the first time.
While none of this has been confirmed, it's safe to say that Apple is far more wary of competitors such as Samsung releasing a flurry of products that might steal customers away. It looks like Apple will be moving to shorter production cycles, and should be offering more color, size, and price options in 2013 than it has in the past.