Apple iPhone 5 Launch vs. Faltering U.S. Economy

Numerous rumors have surfaced so far related to the imminent release of Apple's iPhone 5 and its possible exciting features, and all these rumors have sparked up the enthusiasm of Apple users around the globe about this upcoming and surely feature-rich piece of tech.

According to reports, Apple has planned to sell as many as 25 million iPhones by the end of 2011. Considering a recent report that claimed 35 percent of people planning to buy a smartphone will buy the iPhone 5, it seems that Apple's sales estimates regarding the next generation of iPhone are spot-on.

The study from Experian, which was conducted among 2,852 U.S. online consumers from July 1 to 11 this year, shows that of the 35 percent of consumers who plan to purchase the future iPhone, 51 percent indicated that they will buy the smartphone within the first year of release, 30 percent of the respondents will purchase it before the end of 2011, 14 percent of them will buy it within the first month and 7 percent will buy it within the first week of release.

If the approaching Apple iPhone 5 matches expectations, turning out to be a revolutionary device, all the above-mentioned sales numbers would definitely come true. But the missing middle in all these estimates is lack of concern about the weakening U.S. economy. Both the iPhone 5 and its heavy price tag could be affected by the country's waning economy, coupled with record joblessness.

Where does U.S. economy stand?

According to Gallup, there is 9.1 percent unemployment and 18.2 percent underemployment in the U.S. The nation is maintaining a lethargic growth rate of only 1.3 percent, while the government is spending $4.1 billion per day.

Another report published in Bloomberg said that consumer spending in the U.S. is increasingly going down due to unemployment. As per the Commerce Department report, "consumer spending from April through June showed the smallest gain since the second quarter of 2009, when the economy was in recession." During the period, there was a 4.4 percent fall in purchases of durable goods like automobiles.

The report also said that the falling consumer spending has hurt employer confidence in the month of July. As it was worried about government debt deliberations, the U.S. "probably failed to create enough jobs" in the month, said the report.

How can iPhone 5 be affected?

The question is, why is Apple delaying the release of the iPhone 5? While some are saying that it's due to production issues, some are connecting it to deals with Verizon. There are those who think that the real cause of delay is Apple's strategic positioning against rival smartphones. But, the certainty is that it will hit the market whether the economy is robust or not.

The flip side may be that it might be offered at a cheaper price. Even in the past, Apple kept iPhone 4 prices low to obtain good sales.