FBR Capital Markets analysts claim their contacts are backing up the idea that Apple’s unannounced next generation iPhone will include an 8-megapixel digital camera, along with a chip that support GSM and CDMA cell networks in a single device.
Bumping up the camera resolution from 5-megapixel to 8-megapixel may also mean Apple is switching parts suppliers, too. The new camera sensor is expected to come from Sony instead of OmniVision, Apple’s current supplier, according to Wall Street Pit.
The baseband chips Apple relies on for the next gen iPhone, commonly called iPhone 5, will likely come from Qualcomm. Currently Apple sources its iPhone baseband chips from Intel.
FBR also says its sources indicate Apple has scaled back on its second quarter iPhone production by some 16 percent, dropping down to about 20.1 million units, based in part on lower CDMA units. FBR analysts expect Apple to build 2.1 million CDMA iPhones instead of 5 million.
The CDMA iPhone is currently available only on Verizon’s cell network. Apple hasn’t yet rolled out the CDMA model on other networks around the world.
Apple is expected to skip its usual late June/early July launch window for the next iPhone this year in favor of aSeptember launch. The company doesn’t comment on rumor or speculation, so there hasn’t been any confirmation that a different release schedule is in the plans.
Apple is currently trading at US$331.13, down 2.11 (-0.63%).