Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone will probably be available as early as June, include a more advanced camera, and may feature a touch-sensitive casing, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analyst Robert Chen said in an interview, without identifying who gave him the information.
“Apple’s going to put a lot of innovation, not just on the hardware, but also on the software of the new iPhone,” said Taipei-based Chen, a member of Asia’s top-ranked technology hardware research team. The handset will feature a new plastic casing similar to that used for Apple’s touch-panel Magic Mouse released last year, he said.
“We’re not going to comment on rumors and speculation,” said Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman.
Upgrading to a 5-megapixels camera will bring the handset into line with that offered by Google Inc.’s Nexus One which was released last week, Chen said. Apple, creator of iPod music players and Mac computers, got 23 percent of its sales from iPhones in the September quarter, trailing only laptops as a source of revenue, according to Bloomberg data.
The next iPhone will go into production as early as April and be available to consumers in June or July, Chen said. The handset may include an updated version of the iPhone Operating System as part an overhaul of Apple’s applications store, he said.
Robert Chen is a member of Goldman’s Asia Technology Hardware team lead by Henry King which topped the 2009 Institutional Investor rankings.
Magic Mouse, a computer mouse released in October, has a touch-sensitive solid plastic shell that replaces mechanical buttons. The technology may be replicated in the new iPhone to offer touch-sensitive features on the rear of the handset, Chen said.
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