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Apple Preparing 'Thinner and Lighter' iPhone for Third Quarter Launch

Wednesday July 6, 2011 6:21 am PDT by Eric Slivka
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is indeed preparing a new iPhone for a launch during the third quarter of this year, with an initial production target of 25 million units through the end of the year.
"Apple's sales estimates of the new iPhone is quite aggressive. It told us to prepare to help the company meet its goal of 25 million units by the end of the year," said another person at one of Apple's suppliers. "The initial production volume will be a few million units... we were told to ship the components to assembler Hon Hai in August."
Countering claims that the next-generation iPhone will be nearly identical in appearance to the iPhone 4, the Journal's sources indicate that the new device will be "thinner and lighter" and that Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn/Hon Hai is having difficulties with yield rate on the new device due to it being "complicated and difficult to assemble."
Two of the people, however, cautioned that shipments of the new iPhone could be delayed if Hon Hai can't improve its yield rate as the new iPhone is "complicated and difficult to assemble."
Reports over the past few months have been pointing to a September release for the next-generation iPhone, which has been said to carry Apple's A5 processor found in the iPad 2, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a baseband chip from Qualcomm to support both GSM and CDMA networks.

Tag: wsj.com
[ 226 comments ]


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Coastercub
101 months ago
Surely they can't make it much thinner, I'd rather it was the same thickness and fill the extra space with a little more battery !
Rating: 22 Votes
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wordoflife
101 months ago
I wonder how much thinner Apple will be able to make these things.
Rating: 13 Votes
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Lesser Evets
101 months ago
I love the dueling rumors: no major revisions, thinner & lighter, no iPhone, A5 with better camera, etc. I'm pretty sure they are all guessing and talking crap, like us.
Rating: 9 Votes
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korndawg
101 months ago
I'm in agreenment that the Iphone 4 is thin enuff. Id take a lil bigger battery over shaving off a few mm's of the thickness of the phone.
I love this mockup. It looks much more comforable to hold:



Rating: 9 Votes
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Thunderhawks
101 months ago

I wonder how much thinner Apple will be able to make these things.


They are thinking of all the women asking:

Does this make me look fat?
Rating: 6 Votes
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Northgrove
101 months ago
OK, I hope that "more complicated, hard for us to assemble" doesn't mean that the return rate due to faulty phones will be higher. That certainly doesn't feel like a far fetched problem stemming from these news, and a bit worrying.

Ever since the phone reception issues with the iPhone 4 design, Apple's ferocious hunt for the ultimate design has become a bit worrisome to me. They need to reinforce their reputation for quality, not add new fuel to the QA worries.

Well... Only future will tell. I hope they'll be a hit, and that they will continue surviving the occasional drops to the ground without breaking at the very first incident. Yes, cases exist, but they should not be necessary for daily use if you can live with some scratches. I have dropped my 3GS twice while case-less in the past two years with no issues. Let's hope it stays that way.
Rating: 6 Votes
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paul4339
101 months ago
if it were a trade off of having say, iPod-like thin vs additional battery, I think I'd sooner have more battery.
Rating: 6 Votes
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j_maddison
101 months ago

They are thinking of all the women asking:

Does this make me look fat?


I just reply with... No it's your arse that makes you look fat :D .... yes I'm single lol
Rating: 6 Votes
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HelveticaNeue
101 months ago
Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Hopefully they will make enough to include Canada with the US, UK and other countries in the first release this time. The wait last year almost killed me.
Rating: 5 Votes
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Dr McKay
101 months ago
I dont want thinner and lighter! The iPhone 4 is fine like it is, keep it the same thickness and weight and put a newer battery in.

What sounds like a better boast for the new iPhone.

2.3mm Thinner & 3g Lighter!

or

40% Longer Battery Life!
Rating: 5 Votes

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