LTE-Equipped iPhone Due Next Year, Apple Slows iPhone 4 Production

LTE-Equipped iPhone Due Next Year, Apple Slows iPhone 4 Production -

Now that U.S. carriers have started rolling out their 4G LTE networks, all eyes are on Apple as we wait to see when the technology might come to the iPhone. A new report claims it’s unlikely to launch until 2012, while production of the current iPhone 4 is slowing down ahead of the next model expected in September.

MacRumors is reporting on some iPhone news out of Taiwan, with DigiTimes reporting that Apple won’t be jumping into the 4G LTE market with their iconic handset until sometime next year -- not a huge surprise, given that such smartphones currently require separate antennas for 3G and LTE, which consume both internal space as well as battery life.

“Apple is likely to delay the launch of its LTE-enabled iPhones to 2012, said the sources, noting that the industry had also long been skeptical about the launch of LTE iPhones in 2011 as the implementation of LTE networks has not yet matured,” the DigiTimes report reveals.

Verizon Wireless is aggressively rolling out its 4G LTE network across the United States, while rival AT&T has just started to dip their toes in the water. A big part of the carrier’s acquisition of fourth-place T-Mobile appears to be pinned on using its bandwidth spectrum for 4G LTE, which could give AT&T a jump on the competition.

And what of this year’s iPhone refresh? Alternately referred to as the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, the next handset is widely expected in September, with DigiTimes claiming that production of the current iPhone 4 is slowing down to prepare for the next entry.

“Production of iPhone 4S will begin in August and the earliest launch may be in September,” DigiTimes reports. “All the 3G and CDMA chips for iPhone 4S will be supplied by Qualcomm and the rear camera will be upgraded to a 8-megapixel resolution model with OmniVision Technologies and Taiwan-based Largan Precision to supply image sensors and lens kits respectively, the sources indicated.”

The next iPhone is expected to carry a similar form factor to last year’s model, with improved cameras and a new, faster A5 processor.

(Via Mac|Life all.)