Apple Readying A 4.8-Inch Phablet And iPhone 5s For June Release?

Apple Readying A 4.8-Inch Phablet And iPhone 5s For June Release?

The China Times reports that Apple is planning a smartphone counterattack, with three new iPhones under development, two of them for release in June – including the iPhone 5s and a new product with a 4.8-inch display and possibly with a 12 million pixel camera as Apple’s answer to the “phablet” trend. The article contends that the first largescreen iPhone will be key to Apple retaining its market share, with the assembly plant projected to begin production in late April.

The mysterious third, maybe cheaper iPhone variant would be released during the 2013 Christmas season.

For the full report (Chinese language) visit here:
http://goo.gl/MiDhi

Is Apple Jumping Into the Phablet Trend?

Wall Street Cheat Sheet’s Aabha Rathee comments on the rumor out of China that Apple is preparing to launch a large-screen device called iPhone Math to be one of three new smartphones from the company this year, citing that The China Times report that the new 4.8-inch device marking Apple’s debut in the phablet category also featureing a 12-megapixel camera with lenses manufactured by Largan Precision.

Android Platform To Continue Dominating 5-inch And Larger Smartphone Market In 2013

On the other hand, Digitimes’ Daniel Shen and Steve Shen say that Google’s Android platform will continue to dominate the 5-inch and larger smartphone segment in 2013, while other platforms such as Apple’s iOS, Windows Phone, and Blackberry have yet to show support for larger displays, according to industry sources.

The Shens observe that the rollout of an array of 5-inch Android-based models by HTC, Sharp, Sony Mobile Communications, Huawei Device, ZTE, Lenovo and Oppo Mobile in 2012 has highlighted the mainstream position of 5-inch displays among flagship models, and that sales of smartphones with displays in 5-inch or larger sizes are expected to expand 136% on year to 60.4 million units in 2013 and climb to 146 million units in 2016, noted the sources, citing data from market research firms.

However, they suggest that Apple is unlikely to bring out 5-inch models in 2013 because the company just released its 4-inch iPhone 5 in the second half of 2012, and software developers are currently busy optimizing their applications for the model, according to insider sources, and Research in Motion’s forthcoming BlackBerry 10 family with at least six models planned for 2013 will have only a 4.2-inch display, so it is believed unlikely that RIM will have 5-inch models in 2013, leaving the Android five-inchers main market rivals flat-footed in addressing the Phablet phenomenon.