Apple is expected to unveil the newest iPhones at a press event on Sept. 10. Among the new devices showcased by the tech giant will the next flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5S as well as a major change to how the company looks at the low-end smartphone market with the introduction of the iPhone C line of plastic backed smartphones, offered in a variety of colors. Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities now believes that the iPhone 5S will end up shipping fewer units than the iPhone C upon launch.
Kuo, who has a "strong history of accurately predicting Apple's future product plans," according to AppleInsider, has said the company is planning to ship 8.4 million "iPhone 5C" units in the September quarter. Meanwhile, difficulties in building some of the high-end components of the iPhone 5S will result in a limit to that device of about 5.2 million units for that quarter.
Unlike the iPad Mini, which has outsold the full-sized iPad consistently since its debut, the iPhone C is not expected to become the best selling iPhone model, the 5S will still be the company's flagship smartphone. Kuo expects Appple to increase the iPhone 5S shipments by about 438 percent in the holiday quarter of 2013, bringing the shipments up to 28 million units in the three-month period.
That would keep the iPhone 5S ahead of the new iPhone C, which is only expected to see a 122 percent growth over the same quarter to 18.7 million units.
"Despite yield rate issues with fingerprint sensor module and casing, a timetable ensuring improvement has been established, which eases our concerns over 5S production," Kuo said. "We hold a positive view on growth momentum along the iPhone supply chain, for which we expect a jump from August followed by sustained growth into September and (the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013)."
The iPhone C is expected to feature a lot of the same features as the current iPhone 5. This will allow Apple to take older models like the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 off the market and be able to track sales on the low-end market exclusively with its new iPhone 5C.
