iPad 2 set to be unveiled on 2 March, but will iPhone 5 launch be delayed?
Despite reports of a potential delay for the iPad 2, Apple is expected to hold an event on 2 March to unveil its new tablet. Other speculation, though, points to a possible iPhone 5 delay.
iPad 2 delay? What iPad 2 delay? Apple is now being strongly tipped to unveil its second-generation tablet next Wednesday at an event in San Francisco. The speculation comes, however, as Apple faces separate claims that its iPhone 5 may not go on sale until September.
The iPad 2 event rumour comes from All Things Digital, which says, "according to several sources close to the situation, the Wednesday date in a little more than a week is firm and will take place in San Francisco". If true, expect invites to be sent out to journalists within the next day or two.
If 2 March is really the date for the iPad 2's big reveal, it would seem to scotch speculation that the tablet has been delayed. Earlier this week, analyst firm Yuanta Securities claimed in a research note that "production bottlenecks" may delay the device's debut until later in the year.
The iPad 2 is expected to be slimmer and lighter than the first model, with a front-facing camera for video calls, a faster processor and possibly an improved screen. We wouldn't rule out a surprise or two from Apple though, possibly around the iOS software as well as the iPad 2 hardware.
Now, what about those iPhone 5 delay rumours? It comes back to another analyst, Craig Berger of FBR Capital Markets. Business Insider has the details of his research note:
"For the iPhone 5, we continue to hear that a July launch is unlikely, with various casing suppliers and touch suppliers still ramping up, with some chip vendors not having yet received firm iPhone 5 orders, and with other sockets like the image sensor (most likely going to Omnivision exclusively, but with some potential for Sony to split that socket) still in flux," he writes.
"Given these factors, we think a September launch is more likely, off from Apple's traditional iPhone launch schedule, but giving the firm more time to enhance its next-generation instant communications on the phone."
The problem with all this talk of delays is simple: Apple hasn't ever announced a launch date for these products, and won't until they are officially shown off at one of its media events.
iPhone 5 going on sale in September could be a deliberate strategy -- it would create more of a gap between annual iPad and iPhone updates (good news for the wallets of people who buy both), while also synchronising the iPhone update with the iPod touch.