Apple supplier to ship two models of iPhones in September: report

Apple has asked supplier Hon Hai Precision better known as Foxconn to ship two models of the iPhone in early September reports Wall Street Journal  quoting sources within the company. The report states that, the shipping plans suggest that two new iPhone models could be launched as soon as next month, pointing to a strategy shift as Apple attempts to regain its momentum in the smartphone market and says that suppliers in Asia has started mass production on the two products in June. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone on 10 September. One version of the iPhone will have a cheaper plastic rear while the other is expected to be the standard aluminium body. [caption id=“attachment_1049555” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The back cover of an iPhone is seen. AP[/caption] However if a report by AppleInsider is to be believed then the ‘cheaper’ version of the iPhone 5 might not be all that cheap. The report says that device which has been dubbed as iPhone 5C ( C is rumoured to stand for colour and pictures of coloured plastic covers with Apple logo were also leaked recently) might actually be mid-range. It quotes Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities. Kuo is known for his accurate predictions on Apple products and according to him the_“iPhone 5C” will cost between $400 and $500 without a contract subsidy._  He has also predicted that Apple’s  new iPhone 5S will come with a ‘fingerprint sensor’ on the home button.The possibility of this is high, given that Apple purchased Authentec, a company which provides security hardware and software for PCs and mobile devices, last year in July. Authentec offers mobile security software licenses to companies like Samsung, and fingerprint sensor technology to computer makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc. According to a  Reuters report, at the time of acquisition Apple also paid AuthenTec $7.5 million for some product development work. The report adds that according to agreement filed with regulators it hinted at the development of “a 2D fingerprint sensor for Apple that is suitable for use in an Apple product.” With so many reports stating as muc, it’s highly unlikely that Apple won’t launch two versions of the iPhone. The question is if it will really be priced lower, say under $200? For now that seems unlikely.