According to reports from multiple sources, the iPhone 5S and iPad 5 will debut on June 29, 2013. The reports are wrong, though.
Analysts with Canaccord Genuity, Topeka Capital Market as well as independent media sources all published reports indicating that Apple's supply chain will begin shipping components for next-gen hardware as early as May. Assembly is slated to begin shortly thereafter.
The iPhone 5S will be a more developed version of the iPhone 5, according to the reports, though it's unclear precisely what that would entail.
In addition to the iPhone 5S, Gizmorati reports that the iPad 5 will also be unveiled and that the event will happen on June 29, 2013. According to the article, the event will be titled "Original Passion, New Ideas" and this is the chief reason we believe the rumors to be inaccurate.
Apple is nothing if not graceful and eloquent. "Original Passion, New Ideas" sounds like a title translated from English to Chinese then back to English again. There's no way Apple would give that moniker to anything, let alone a major product unveiling.
We're crying foul on the unveiling rumors, but some of the production-pipeline rumors seem to hold water, particularly the mention of a cheaper iPhone, which has long been rumored and would make lots of sense. A release sometime in Summer 2013 is also likely, as this would coincide with the iPhone's six-year anniversary.
Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets sent out a note to investors stating that Apple was to launch "multiple new phones" in 2013. Daryanani spoke to Apple Insider:
"The low-end iPhone will have the same 4-inch form factor as the iPhone 5, but will have a plastic casing and no Retina display," Apple Insider quotes Daryanani. "With a lower price point, AAPL will be able to target a growing and important part of the smartphone market (sub-$400 price band)."
