A new supply-chain report claims to have the answers to one question about the 2021 iPhones: What name will Apple choose?
While we’ve been referring to this year’s models as the iPhone 13, other possibilities have been raised …
Some have argued that the rumored changes for this year’s devices make this an S-year, thus the name will be iPhone 12S. Others have suggested that as some consider the number 13 to be unlucky, Apple might skip the number or even drop the numbering altogether, and simply use the name iPhone with the year as the identifier, as the company does with Macs and iPads.
Today’s UDN report says no: The name will be iPhone 13.
It goes on to say that primary iPhone assembler Foxconn will continue to get the bulk of the orders, while Pegatron will make the iPhone 13 mini.
Apple’s new iPhone this year has entered the countdown stage of stocking, and the supply chain has reported that this year’s new phone will be named iPhone 13.
A second question is when the 2021 iPhones will go on sale. This used to be an easy one to answer: From the iPhone 5 to iPhone 8, each year’s models were available in September. Things changed with the iPhone X, however, and since then it’s been unclear whether availability of particular models would be September, October, or November.
The report does suggest that the announcement will take place in September, and that suppliers will begin shipping in the third quarter – but as Apple needs to stockpile phones to get them ready to go on sale, that provides limited information as to actual availability.
Check out our iPhone 13 guide to see everything we’re expecting in this year’s iPhones, from improved cameras to the potential for an always-on screen element.
The supply chain reports that this year’s new iPhone will return to the situation announced in September of the previous year. The assembler will start shipping in the third quarter, and the peak of the pull will fall in the fourth quarter.
