iPhone 5S Hitting Shelves Mid-2013 After WWDC Unveiling

Apple’s Asian suppliers are preparing for massive component orders as the Cupertino giant is engaging in a more fast-paced refresh cycle on the smartphone front. Taiwanese news outlets are reporting that Apple might roll out the iPhone 5S at WWDC 2013.

Apple has shifted its annual iPhone refresh cycle from summer to fall, yet the next refresh will put the iPhone back on stage at WWDC, according to Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes citing market observers.

These people say that contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and packager Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) have both entered Apple’s supply chain for the next-generation iPhone.

The unconfirmed device has been dubbed by the media “iPhone 5S,” in accordance with Apple’s incremental refreshes (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4S).

Both suppliers are expected “to report particularly strong results for the first quarter of 2013,” says the Taiwanese site. The reason?

“Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013, which will boost demand for ICs in particular communications related chips during the latter half of the first quarter,” according to market observers cited in the report.

Component orders from Cupertino will rise between March and April, the observers indicated, kicking off iPhone 5S manufacturing for its WWDC 2013 debut.

Apple next year might break its annual refresh tradition to unveil not one, but two new iPhone models, some company watchers have said.

As Samsung and other rivals continue to churn up numerous handset models within seasonal timeframes, Apple is being forced to step up its game.

The Cupertino giant is now refreshing OS X annually, instead of once every two years. Who’s to say it can’t do the same with the iPhone?

Considering it will be a minor incremental release, the so-called iPhone 5S may still bolster Apple’s portfolio.

For example, it could use a faster A6X chip and some WiFi improvements – enough to sell a couple million units until the iPhone 6 arrives on the scene.