iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 Release Date: Launch Date For iPhone 5 Upgrade Hinted At 4Q Earnings Report, To Achieve Targets Apple Needs To Announce New Hardware

The release dates for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 has been a key topic of many tech rumor mills and according to the International Business Times, an analyst found clues on the September release of the new iPhone from the company’s fourth quarter earning guidance.

One tech analyst noted that based on the earnings advisory of the company for the coming quarter, it will require Apple to release a new hardware to accomplish revenue targets.

During its quarterly earning call Tuesday, Apple expected it’s fourth quarter revenue to be around $34 billion to $37 billion and CEO Tim Cook said that the company is “working hard on some amazing new products,” which Apple will introduced fall of this year and next.

Although the comment itself is not enough to suggest any particular launch dates for the device, Walter Piecyk, an analyst at BTIG, mentioned that Apple’s latest earnings guidance for the fourth quarter would materialize only if the company announces new hardware in September.

“After delivering $35 billion in revenue in the June quarter, management guided to $34-37 billion next quarter. Revenue would more typically drop multiple billions if the company had no new products planned,” according to Piecyk as reported by the International Business Times.

The Cupertino tech giant reported a gross margin of 36.9 percent for its fiscal 2013 third quarter ending June 29 and estimated gross margin between 36 percent and 37 percent for the fourth quarter.

The BTIG analyst believes that the unchanged gross margin guidance could be a strong indication that the new product launch for the September quarter will be that of a new iPhone, which pulls higher margins than the iPad.

“The margin guidance also likely indicates that the new product launch this quarter will be an iPhone and not a lower margin iPad,” Piecyk said in a statement posted on the BTIG website.

Katy Huberty, a Morgan Stanley analyst also gave similar insights about Apple’s fourth quarter earnings. She said that there are many signs that suggest Apple may release new products in the September quarter.

Apple’s third-quarter earnings topped estimates, riding on the back of strong iPhone sales, reported the International Business Times. The company sold 31.2 million iPhones, a record for June quarter, compared to 26 million during the 2012 quarter. The smartphone is expected to once again be a major contributor to the company’s earning goals in the upcoming quarter.

It has been rumored that Apple will release a low-cost iPhone, dubbed the “iPhone Lite,” which will assist the flagship iPhone 5s.

Although there have been conflicting reports that the Cupertino tech giant may actually overhaul it’s iPhone product line, phasing out all other models and focusing on the newer major upgrade called the iPhone 6.

According to rumors, the iPhone 6 will serve as a major upgrade and will have variants, including a cheaper version with plastic casing. When it’s release, all other iPhones will not serve the purpose of a back-up model, thereby restructuring the full product line of one of it’s most prized earnings contributor.