March 2012 iPhone 5 Release Would Equal Epic Fail For Apple, iPhone 4S

It would appear that the iPhone 5 rumor mill is getting stupid again, now with rumors that the iPhone 5 will be released as early as March of 2012. According to IBTimes, “Hitachi and Sony have reportedly begun shipping 4-inch LCD panels to Apple for final production of “new iOS devices” believed to be the next-generation iPhone, according to Japanese blog Macotakara. Citing reliable sources, Macotakara believes the so-called “iPhone 5″ may be unveiled as early as March 2012.”
For the record, to the best of my knowledge, IBTimes has never reported or predicted anything accurately about the iPhone. And it looks like they will keep their losing streak intact with this new rumor.
There is little doubt that Apple could manage a March 2012 release of the iPhone 5 if it wanted to: I am compelled to believe the rumors that much of the design work for the iPhone 5 is complete, and it will now be a matter of “simply” put it into production. That being said, the notion of releasing the iPhone 5 just four months after millions of people invested in the iPhone 4S is ludicrous, for no other reason than the fact that most if not all iPhone 4S users would be incensed. In addition, it would be tacit admission from Apple that the 4S was nothing more than a thrown-together Rube Goldberg iPhone iteration, designed for no other reason than to quell the unwashed masses clammoring for a new iPhone in 2011.
In short, a March iPhone 5 would be an epic fail for Apple — a real public relations disaster. It could also be the harbinger of doom for a post-Jobs Cupertino as we know it, confirming a sense that, without Steve Jobs at the helm, Apple is ill-equipped to remain competitive and on the vanguard of technology.
As you know, the iPhone 5 News Blog‘s own inside source has already confirmed to us that the iPhone 5 will be released in June of 2012 to coincide with its traditional WWDC announcement. We first reported this back on November 4th. If this rumor comes true, and Apple intends on getting the iPhone back onto its typical WWDC release schedule, even this release timeframe could stoke anger among early adopters on the iPHone 4S, since it would be just seven months after the iPhone 4S.
A Lost Generation of iPhone Users
As more and more dissatisfaction wells to the surface in the iPhone community, one has to wonder if the chaos and confusion that obviously beset Cupertino during the 2011 Summer as Steve Jobs’ health declined — and the ensuing decision to scrap the iPhone 5 for the 4S — may have created an unintended consequence: a lost generation of iPhone users. In a sense, Apple spent the unprecedented buzz and excitement built up for the iPhone 5 on the 4S. And because the 4S isn’t even living up to its own hype in terms of quality and performance, they have in essence locked in many would-be iPhone 5 users into a disillusioned commitment to the iPhone 4S.
How many iPhone 5 sales did Apple lose by releasing the iPhone 4S? We may never know. But it is very possible that many of the iPhone 4S users could become a “lost generation,” who may opt to go with an Android smartphone if they feel that Apple let them down in quality with the 4S and by cheating them out of the iPhone 5 in 2011. This could be especially true of first-time iPhone users who have bought the 4S.
One thing is for sure: for all those who chose not to rush out and buy the iPhone 4S when it was first released, now that the start of 2012 in right around the corner, it may not be a bad idea to continue to read the iPhone 5 tea leaves and see if you can make it another 6 or 7 months with what you’re using now, in anticipation for a possible June iPhone 5.