iPhone with 4.8-inch screen in the works: Citi

As the stage is set for Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference next week, speculations have started about products coming later this year and even in 2014. A note by Citi Research says that the Cupertino-based company will launch an iPhone with 4.8-inch screen next year. 

Citi Research analyst Glen Yeung called this big-screen model iPhone 6 and said it is likely to be launched in the first quarter of 2014. This smartphone has come up as iPhone Math in previously leaks. Apart from the 4.8-inch screen, it is rumoured to have an 8MP camera, while other details are yet unknown. 

Talking about models slated for this year, the research note citing "field work in the hardware supply chain" says that the rumoured iPhone 5S is two to four weeks behind schedule. Yeung writes that while this will not affect the launch date of the model, it will result in supply shortage for the model in September. 

The research note also mentions a cheaper version of the iPad mini. Yeung wrote that the next version of iPad mini will have resolution of 2048x1536p and be priced at approximately $230-250. He also said that the launch of the rumoured iPad mini with Retina display has been delayed to the last quarter of 2013 or the first quarter of next year. 

Chinese tech news website Digitimes, citing sources, also reported that the second iteration of iPad has been delayed till November. 

The next-generation iPad also gets a mention in the Citi research note. It says that the upcoming iPad will "sport characteristics similar to iPad Mini (slimmer, lighter), although the prospect of a higher-end solution (like the MS Surface Pro) seems unlikely given discussions with Intel have not resulted in an Intel design win at 22nm." It also says that Apple will stop manufacturing the second- and fourth-generation iPads in the third quarter of 2013. 

Talking about the upcoming WWDC, Citi says Apple is unlikely to make any announcements about hardware, except a Macbook refresh. Instead, it will focus on services like the rumoured iRadio. Citi also said that it expects Apple to open up API to developers, "allowing outside influence to things like iCloud, Maps, and Siri." 

While Citi Research does not expect many hardware announcements at WWDC 2013, speculation is rife that Apple will launch the iPhone 5S and cheaper iPhone at the event, with launch date rumoured for June 20, 2013. It is set to unveil the new version of its mobile operating system, named iOS 7, and has already put up banners with the number "7" at the venue. Many sources have said that Apple will break cover of its music streaming service, tentatively named iRadio, at the event in a bid to take on Pandora, Spotify and the recently unveiled Google Play Music All Access.