Apple's new iPhones may come in gold, have lower price tag
Apple is widely expected to announce its next iPhone in September, and the rumors surrounding the flagship smartphone are at fever pitch. Among the reports: two different phones and a gold model.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has asked its supplier Hon Hai Precision Industry (commonly referred to as Foxconn) to start shipping both low-end and high-end iPhones in September.
Citing sources who work at those companies, the Journal reports that the Chinese supplier has already started producing components for a regular iPhone and a low-cost model. Apple has yet to comment on rumors of a low-cost smartphone.
It's also been rumored that the tech giant will release a gold iPhone.
Citing "sources in a position to know," AllThingsD reports that Apple will add a new color to its lineup that is being described as "champagne, not ingot." TechCrunch reports that several of its sources have also suggested that Apple is planning on a gold phone.
Why gold? The blog iMore speculates that gold is one of the "easiest colors to anodize" -- a process that thickens the oxide layer of on the surface of metal.
Previous rumors have suggested that Apple may release a variety of iPhones with different colors. In May, the Japanese blog Macotakara also said the cheaper iPhone would be made of plastic and claimed that the phone would come in a variety of colors, including navy, gold, gray, pink, green and orange.
Apple is also expected to officially launchiOS 7 and its desktop operating system Mavericks. Both were unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
AllThingsD previously reported that Apple is holding a press event on Sept. 10 to announce the next iPhone.
