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Apple’s next iPhone launch could be most important in smartphone history

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:23PM EST
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Apple’s iPhone 4S marked the biggest device launch in the company’s history. A number of industry watchers and news sites were expecting a completely redesigned handset, but despite the new model’s striking resemblance to the iPhone 4, it sold more than 4 million units in its debut weekend alone. According to Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope, Apple’s next smartphone launch will be even bigger. Read on for more.

“The iPhone 5 launch is likely to be one of the most important smartphone product cycles we’ve seen to date,” Shope wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday. Shope raised his price target on shares of Apple stock to $750 from $700, and said earlier concerns over the possibility that carriers might dial back iPhone subsidies are off base.

“We believe this concern is overblown,” Shope wrote. “While some carriers will attempt to reduce the subsidy burden and tighten upgrade policies, many more will likely hold steady to capture share from the latter camp. In the end, all carriers are attempting to migrate their installed bases from feature phones to data-centric smartphones, and amid this transition, we think the risk of losing market share in the iPhone sub-segment is likely to be too great to ignore.”

The analyst continued, “On a shorter-term basis, we believe the building rhetoric for lower subsidies and tighter upgrade policies is likely to fade to a whimper, as vendors prepare their marketing strategies for the iPhone 5 refresh later this year.”

BGR reported this past December that Apple will launch a redesigned iPhone in the fall with a unibody case and a new antenna system. A separate report on Wednesday claimed that Apple will utilize Liquidmetal alloys in the next-generation iPhone’s case.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.