Apple's low-cost iPhone will mark the end of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, according to an analyst with a long history of projecting the Cupertino organization's plans.
KGI Securities analyst Mingchi Kuo issued his latest findings, via 9to5Mac, in regards to Apple Inc.
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In one of the findings, Kuo noted the end-of-life for the iPhone 5. The analyst stated the iPhone will reach end-of-life at the end of the third quarter this year while the iPhone 4S shipments will also halt by 2013's end.
"From this situation we can infer that iPhone 5C is actually intended to replace iPhone 5, rather than iPhone 4S," stated Kuo.
The iPhone 5C is the name many in the tech community have nicknamed the low-cost Apple smartphone. Kuo added that 1.5 to 2.5 million units of the iPhone 5C are expected to be shipped during the third quarter.
"In other words, the 5C model will be positioned as midrange. We forecast its retail price to be US$400-500," wrote Kuo. "We expect iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 will fall into the price ranges of US$600-700, US$400-500, US$300-400 and US$200-300, respectively, in the new product cycle. Since iPhone 4's specs may not be adequate to run on iOS 7, we think this line may be terminated."
As Latinos Post reported, the low-cost iPhone could help Apple significantly in the smartphone market, notably in China. According to Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty, the low-cost iPhone could boost Apple's market share by 13.3 percent in China while Samsung, in return, would drop by 6.7 percent.
CNN Money noted that if Huberty's projections are accurate, then Apple can become the No. 1 smartphone vendor in the world.
According to Apple Insider, the iPhone 5C might resemble the iPhone 5, in terms of specifications. The iPhone 5C was forecasted to have a 4-inch screen, front-facing FaceTime camera and a home button. The back of the rumored device will have a rear-facing iSight camera, microphone and singular LED flash.
In regards to a release date, Japan's Nikkei reported the iPhone 5C could start its initial sales on Friday, Sept. 20. Japan was among the early markets to launch the iPhone 5 along with the United States and the United Kingdom in September 2012.
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