Could Apple be scaling back iPhone production? A Digitimes report quotes Taiwanese chipmakers as saying that handset vendors like Apple and HTC are decreasing their chip orders for the fourth quarter.
Digitimes cited economic concerns as the reason behind the slowdown. It said Apple has downsized iPhone orders, but it did not specify which model. If it's the iPhone 4, could that signal a shift to production of the iPhone 5?
As far as HTC is concerned, Digitimes also did not specify which of its devices are affected by this alleged move, but the publication claimed that HTC reduced internal shipment targets for 2011 from 70 million units to 50-60 million units.
This is contrary to reports from earlier this week that claimed Apple was significantly stepping up iPhone shipments. On Monday, Digitimes said Apple is increasing iPhone shipments by 12-13 percent from the original estimate of 50 million units for the second quarter or 2011 to upwards of 56 million units. Digitimes added that between 25 and 26 million of these devices will be iPhone 5s, and that total iPhone shipments for 2011 will hit 95 million units.
So is this evidence that the Apple is getting ready for the iPhone 5? The latest rumor about the much-debated release date for Apple's fifth-gen smartphone alleged that pre-orders will happen in late September and the phone will ship in early October. Others still claim the iPhone 5 will be unveiled on September 5 but All Things D insists the phone will come out in October.
For more, see What the iPhone 5 Might Look Like and Six Amazing Phone Technologies We Want in iPhone 5. And check out the 8 Likely iPhone 5 Rumors, and 2 Wild Ones slideshow below.