Edible Apple

Let’s take a break from all the hullabaloo surrounding Apple’s share price and alleged weak demand for the iPhone 5 to take a look at some of Apple’s upcoming products.

Of course, Apple keeps its product roadmap a tightly guarded secret, but KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has proven rather adept at predicting future Apple products. So with one of the best track records in the business, Kuo is at it again, this time forecasting Apple’s 2013 product roadmap.

Let’s take a gander.

iPhone

First off we have Apple’s 2013 iPhone lineup. Kuo anticipates Apple will introduce an iPhone 5S (shocker) sometime in June or July – so basically Apple will be reverting back to their original iPhone refresh cycle. But that’s not all, folks. Apple, according to Kuo, will also be releasing a newly designed iPhone 5, which perhaps is the lower-cost iPhone that has been making the rounds in the rumor mill lately.

As for the iPhone 5S, Kuo notes that it will sport Apple’s A7 chip and will feature a long-rumored fingerprint sensor. Notably, the camera quality will remain about the same. Also of note is that it will run on TD, China’s proprietary network utilized by China Mobile, even more evidence that the company’s nearly 800 million subscribers will soon have access to the iPhone.

Notably, the bill of materials on the new iPhone 5S will run form $230-$250, a smidge higher than the $210-$230 BOM used on the iPhone 5.

And as for the newly designed iPhone 5, that will have a BOM of $180-$200 (there’s the more economical model right there), and will be heavier by about 18 grams, which would indicate that Apple will in fact use cheaper, and heavier, materials for the device (i.e plastic). Kuo also believes that the more economical iPhone will come in a range of 6 colors. It will also not have a fingerprint sensor and will house the same A6 processor as the original iPhone 5.

iPad

With respect to Apple’s tablet lineup, Kuo expects Apple to refresh the iPad and iPad Mini during the third quarter of 2013 with the iPad Mini being given the Retina Display treatment. Also of note is that the fifth-gen iPad, according to Kuo, will be slimmer and lighter than the current 4th gen iPad.

Macs

As for Apple’s Mac line, Kuo anticipates Apple will get rid of non-Retina MacBook Pros in 2013 and that slightly tweaked models may be on the way as well.

As for the MacBook Air, a refresh may be possible during the second quarter of 2013 and that Retina Displays will not grace the Air this year due to design challenges.

And then we have the ole’ iMac, which will likely not receive a Retina Display in 2013. Expect just internal upgrades for Apple’s iconic desktop machine this year.

Everything else

Kuo writes that Apple will discontinue the 4th gen iPod Touch and will introduce a 8GB version of the 5th gen iPod Touch. Note that this means that Apple’s entire mobile lineup will now be using 4-inch screens. And the Apple TV, and anything TV related, Kuo says Apple’s little black hockey puck will receive a minor upgrade in 2013 and that Apple’s HDTV effort is not going to manifest itself in 2013, “with content issues and a lack of experience in the television set industry pushing things back until 2014.”

via MacRumors