At a special event entitled, “Original Passion, New Ideas,” Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is rumored to introduce a new iPhone, as well as the next iPad.
According to this Gizmorati exclusive, an “inside source” has told the publication that Apple plans to celebrate the iPhone’s six-year anniversary by holding the event on June 29. Gizmorati said that this news has also been confirmed by an unnamed third-party source.
No other details were provided, though the tech publication speculates that Apple will hold the event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California.
While it is wholly possible that Apple will hold an event in June, investors should approach this news with a great deal of caution. Apple has not held a major event since the iPad Mini was unveiled last fall. Thus, it is easy to predict that Apple will do so — and introduce some new products — within the next couple of months.
It is also easy to assume that the iPhone’s sixth anniversary might hold special significant to Apple. However, if the company was going to have an event to commemorate the iPhone’s launch and success, why wouldn’t it have been held on June 29, 2012 or June 29, 2011? What makes the sixth-year anniversary more significant than the fifth- or fourth-year anniversaries?
Apple chose to release the last two iPhone upgrades — the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 — during the fall. This seems to be the golden time for Apple products, as evidenced by the record-breaking sales of the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini/iPad 4.
While Apple has been known to change release dates without warning, this Gizmorati report is the only reason to believe that the company will do it again.
Other reports have claimed that the next iPhone will not ship before August 2013. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo agrees that the biggest Apple products are likely to be saved for the third and fourth quarters.
Based on the sales of the existing iPhone models, it may be in Apple’s best interest to wait.
During the fiscal 2013 first quarter (ended December 29, 2012), Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones, greatly surpassing the 37 million iPhones sold during the year ago period.
Apple also achieved record sales during the fiscal 2012 fourth quarter (ended September 29, 2012).
Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis@benzingapro.com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ
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Tags: Apple, iPad 5, iPad Mini 2, iPhone 5S
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