iPhone 5 Arriving Several Months Later Than Usual

Reports are surfacing from one of Apple's suppliers of iPhone manufacturing equipment that expected orders are "several months later than usual" – which could be pointing to a September launch for the new iPhone handset.

Analysts have been predicting for months that Apple's fifth-generation iPhone handset would be set to launch in September, as opposed to the usual June-July timeframe. On Friday, Apple analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray became the latest to offer this prediction and updated his financial forecasts for Apple's stock, traded as AAPL.

Munster reported that previously, there had been an average of 99 days between an Apple iOS announcement and the ship date of the newest iPhone. This compares to an average of 79 days between the iOS announcement and the previewing of the new iPhone handset and all of its features.

Operating under this assumption, if Apple does the expected and previews the new iOS software at its annual WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC) which begins on June 6, the trend would point to an iPhone 5 preview date of August 24 and a ship date of September 13. This is, of course, if the relatively-unpredictable Apple sticks to the way it has done things previously.

Munster also sees a September launch as "normal" for new iPhone hardware, as sales of the iPhone do not generally have a serious impact until the September quarter anyway. Apple's iPhone 5G was released in July, placing it in the September quarter, and the 3GS and iPhone 4 were released at the end of June, with very relatively few sales occurring before the start of the September quarter – beginning July 1.

Many analysts, including Munster, are anticipating the launch to focus around minor hardware upgrades and major software improvements. iOS 5 is expected to lead the improvements for the iPhone5, with the hardware potentially receiving a slightly larger display that serves as a "window into the software," according to Munster, among other small changes.

Rumors have been circulating about a larger, 4-inch display coming in the next iPhone for months. Munster believes that the larger screen is "more likely a 2011 feature" than one that would appear in 2012. However, Munster sees support for newer "4G" network technology – such as LTE – won't arrive until the sixth-generation iPhone or beyond.

Piper Jaffray has targeted Apple to sell 16 million iPhone handsets in the quarter ending June 30 and 21 million in the quarter ending September 30. Munster confirmed that a later-than-June launch for the fifth-generation iPhone wouldn't place their sales predictions "at risk".

Finally, Munster offered that many different issues could have delayed the new iPhone, including supply issues caused by the Japan earthquake, the decision of whether or not to support LTE technology, and delays in fully completing software- driven innovations that Apple wants to include with the handset's launch.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news