The "Apple rumor mill" we mentioned last week is turning its wheels again, this time following Topeka Capital's Brian White, who reports out China.
According to White's sleuthing, Apple is working on three products that should soon be ready for a full release: an iTV system, an iPhone that will help process credit card payments and an iWatch with fingerprint-reading technology.
But what's of most interest to businesses is the possible release of the iPhone 5S, rumored to be hitting store shelves later this year. Historically, Apple has released new iPhone products in the fall – the iPhone 4S model arrived in October 2011 and the iPhone 5 in September 2012. The most interesting component of the expected iPhone 5S announcement is that the device could be released with multiple screen sizes, providing consumers and businesses alike with a degree of flexibility that they don't currently have.
"Essentially, we believe Apple is coming around to the fact that one size per iPhone release does not work for everyone and offering consumers an option has the potential to expand the company's market share," according to White's notes, posted by CNN Money. As part of this summer launch, we believe a lower-priced iPhone will be released, as we have previously discussed; however, our research is now indicating that we should not expect the price to dip below $300."
As the rumor mill continues to heat up this spring and into the summer, IT heads will no doubt be reading the same stories as consumers, gathering all the information they can about Apple's newest products. Whichever direction Apple chooses to go, businesses that ultimately adopt these solutions need to plan for Apple training for their employees.
