Apple iPhone 5S Release Date: September Launch Likely As Supply Chain Showing ‘Signs Of Life,’ Analyst Says

Apple’s next generation iPhone 5S, also dubbed as the iPhone 6, will likely be launched in September, reveals a key component maker, suggesting the company could be hard at work preparing for a fall release.

Analyst Maynard Um of Wells Fargo Securities has interpreted the comments from the chip-maker as “signs of life” in Apple’s supply chain and a strong indication that the iPhone 5S -- the seventh iteration of the company’s flagship handset -- will be here in September.

Avago Technologies, a maker of custom wireless chips, “noted it is already seeing an initial ramp of a new product transition (we believe iPhone 5S) and expects a greater ramp in the following quarter (October quarter)," Um wrote in a note to investors, obtained by Apple Insider.

"We anticipate more positive supply chain news from Apple suppliers through the summer and as we get closer to product launch."

Although some earlier reports have suggested that the new phone could be announced during the summer, CEO Tim Cook refuted the speculations saying Apple would come up with a lot of “surprises” toward the end of the year.

Speaking of surprises, the next iPhone is rumored to sport a fingerprint sensor in place of the iconic Home button. The feature is expected to allow users to avoid manual password entry and allow for new capabilities like more secure e-wallet transactions.

In addition, the 2013 iPhone model is rumored to be available in multiple colors and feature a superior camera with a 12 megapixel sensor.

If the September launch of the iPhone 5S turns out to be true, it will be in line with the one-year release cycle that Apple has been known to follow. The current iPhone 5 was launched at an event last September.

“It typically takes 60-90 days of production before the phone is introduced to retail. And it hasn’t gone into production, yet, so if we assume production starts in June, that would mean the soonest you’d be able to get it would be late August/early September,” Jeffries analyst Peter Misek told Bloomberg.