Analyst: Apple To Produce 4GB iPhone In Early 2009

Ed Sutherland ()

Could Apple be readying a 4GB iPhone during the first quarter?

Could Apple be readying a 4GB iPhone during the first quarter?

An analyst Wednesday told clients he expects a new 4GB iPhone during the first quarter, pushing sales of the popular handset to 7 million units beyond the 6.9 million iPhone 3Gs sold in 2008.

“Checks indicate a new 4GB iPhone which may be helping to increase build rates,” UBS analyst Maynard Um advised. Taiwan-based chipmakers may be preparing parts for a new iPhone, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Unconfirmed speculation of an iPhone nano priced below the $199 8GB iPhone has swirled for some time.

In his note, Um cautioned Apple’s supply orders could change as the company considers whether introducing a new iPhone would cannibalize existing models.

Tiawan’s Economic Daily reported chips for a new iPhone could be ready by March ready for a product introduction in June.

Um said a new iPhone could boost Apple’s handset sales to around 7 million units during the first quarter with 23 million expected for all of fiscal 2009.

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About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • mick

    Why would they reintroduce the 4GB iPhone? It already existed and was killed off. Give the iPhone mini rumors a break.

  • Lucas

    i have to agree with Mick. i don’t see the rumors playing out. the 4gb was tried and is gone and rare is it for Apple to step back on storage. As for the stripped down Nano rumor, ATT is cutting down their Edge so at least in the US, that will make an Edge only phone less likely. And any device without the phone, ipod functions and internet functions is NOT an iphone, which has been pushed from day one as all 3 in one device.

    a cut in price another $50 off maybe. pressure on ATT to cut the data plan or to add unlimited texting, sure. I could see either or both

    but a Nano phone. or a 4gb phone. doubt it

  • http://www.simplyfreeiphone.com iPhone Fan

    Would $50 be enough to make the iPhone affordable? I personally doubt it, almost as much as I doubt I would ever need any more than 4gb!