Two more iPhones may drop from the Apple tree in 2013.
According to whispers, Apple is looking to release two 4-inch iPhones which will feature in-cell touch technology. One of the new phones will be targeted toward the mid-range market.
But you may want to read the report with an arched eyebrow. The rumor comes from an undisclosed source talking to DigiTimes.
Of course a little skepticism is in order in regards to these rumors. But with recent talk about what's up next for Apple, we'll lend an ear to this report.
Liquid crystal ball
The rumor also mentions a third iPhone with a bigger screen at a lower cost. Although, that kind of iPhone won't be released in 2013, according to the report.
There have been a few articles circulating about the Cupertino-based company looking into producing more budget-friendly iPhones. What's more, additional rumors suggest that Apple may go back to making iPhones out of plastic to reduce costs.
However, there is no telling whether these two speculative iPhones have anything to do with Apple's presumed price decrease, or will be molded in plastic.
The big news is that the screens will stay at 4-inches diagonal and feature the in-cell tech. But, before Apple can release any new iPhones, it may have to sort out some production problems.
According to the anonymous source, Apple's had difficulty producing enough in-cell touch panels to keep up with demand.
The in-cell technology fuses together the LCD and the touchscreen elements of the display into one layer. The combination of the two layers allows the phone to be much thinner, but is also harder to produce.
The source credits the low-production yield of in-cell panels with the slowdown in iPhone 5 sales. So if Apple wants to put the in-cell touchscreens into more iPhone models, it will have to smooth out its production lines.
If the rumor proves to be true, it will surely disappoint a few Apple fans.
Though the iPhone 5 bumped up the screen size to 4 inches when it released, 5-inch screens are seemingly becoming the norm for 2013 smartphones.
And, waiting to up the iPhone display size to 5 inches until (presumably) 2014 may put the Apple smartphone a little behind the times.