Apple to Begin Trial Production of iPhone 5S for Earlier Than Expected Launch?

iphone5DigiTimes relays a report coming from a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. In it, the Commercial Times claims that Apple will begin trial production of the iPhone 5S as early as December.

Facing low yield rates in the production of iPhone 5, Apple has accelerated the certification processes for related parts and components for the iPhone 5S, the paper revealed.

The paper then claims the iPhone 5S could enter volume production in the 1st quarter of 2013. If that were truly the case, the iPhone 5S could be be set to launch earlier than most have expected.

Apple originally launched the iPhone in the summer of 2007 and then stayed on an annual mid-year release cycle. This schedule held true until the launch of the iPhone 4S which launched in October 2011. Apple then continued this fall-release schedule with the iPhone 5 in 2012. As a result, many have expected the iPhone 5's successor to launch in the fall of 2013.

The Commercial Times has had a spotty record, however, so its hard to gauge how much faith to put into this single report. If the iPhone 5S launch will indeed be accelerated, we are certain to hear more in the coming months.

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

MRU Avatar
165 months ago
In other news iPhone 6 set for two weeks after the iPhone 5s. A random guy in China told me so.....
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andyx3x Avatar
165 months ago
Yeah right.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arn Avatar
165 months ago
If an iPhone5S launches in January there will be a lot of pretty hacked off people.

I don't think you can read a January launch into this, even if u are interpret it at face value.

arn
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Moshe1010 Avatar
165 months ago
iPad 3 --> iPad 4 story again.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
colmaclean Avatar
165 months ago
I'm getting pretty fed up with having to go to a store every two weeks to keep my tech at the bleeding edge.

Apple needs to take it to the next level and allow us to download hardware updates through iTunes.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
komodrone Avatar
165 months ago
INB4: But i just got the 5.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)