14 DAY TRIAL // A rumor is poking its head out from Korea saying Apple is discontinuing the iPhone 5 this fall, as it reportedly plans to limit sales to the upcoming iPhone 5S and the budget (plastic) iPhone.
The rumor may sound like bogus the first time you read it, but if you consider all the issues Apple has been having with the iPhone 5, it starts to make sense.
I’m the happy owner of a brand new iPhone 5 after returning my original handset to its makers over a faulty Sleep/Wake button and damaged Lightning port.
I’ve been asking around, digging through forums, and I’ve learned that these issues are widespread. And Apple is tired of replacing damaged phones at its own expense.
Many users are also having Wi-Fi problems with the handset, and the thing is made of easily-scuffable aluminum. Some units come pre-loaded with scratches from the factory.
Foxconn itself has said the iPhone 5 is one of the most annoying things they’ve had to assemble so far. Seems to me Apple has enough reasons to phase it out.
The ET News report makes no mentioning of these issues, of course. The reason cited there (for the discontinuation) is that the iPhone 5’s touchscreen is “not suitable for low-volume production.”