Apple to ship next-generation iPhone in September

Apples next-generation iPhone will have a faster processor and will begin shipping in September. Smartphone will look largely similar to the iPhone 4.The iPhone is one of Apples most successful products, with more than 16 million sold in the last quarter of 2010 and the product accounted for more than a third of the companys sales in the quarter. Suppliers to the new iPhone include camera module maker Largan Precision Co Ltd, touchscreen panel maker Wintek Corp and case maker Foxconn Technology Co Ltd. Apple, a big purchaser of touchscreen displays and flash memory, is also dependent on Japan for some of its key components, sparking concern that the disruption due to the crisis there may hurt its gross margins.It is expected that Apple will refresh its iPhone 4 later this year.