Is Apple Planning to Diversify Its iPhone Lineup?

A new report today suggests that Apple may be planning to add more options to its iPhone line. Currently, Cupertino only offers either current gen or last gen tech, in a variety of storage sizes. It’s less of a choice, really, and more of an ultimatum.

The source of the rumors is Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. Wu performed supply chain checks that revealed Apple was sourcing parts for touchscreens both larger and smaller than the current iPhone 4′s 3.5-inch display. Specific sizes weren’t mentioned, but Kaufman Bros. suggests that the new touchscreens could be for use in a new high- and low-end models of iPhone, and that the new models could ship before Apple’s annual late spring/early summer iPhone refresh date.

But is such a move likely from a company that has, for the last four iterations of the iPhone, stuck with the same formula and only released one version of its handset? If this was last year or the year before that, I’d easily dismiss these rumors as idle speculation. However, this isn’t those years. This is the year of Android.

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