Apple is set to unveil its latest mobile operating system, iOS 7, to developers at its World Developers Conference, while rumours of pre-orders for the iPhone 5S have also been doing the rounds.
The first rumours of possible iOS 7 shipment delays surfaced on Apple and tech commentator John Gruber's Daring Fireball blog. He said iOS 7 is running behind and that "engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it".
But, this week, unnamed sources confirmed to AllThingsD that the Apple OS will be ready for its unveiling at the World Developers Conference in June. One of the sources said the sourcing of extra engineers is "not as much of a fire drill, though" and that iOS 7 "will ship on time".
On the back of the iOS buzz, papers leaked by a Japanese telecom wireless service earlier this week revealed the iPhone 5S would be available for pre-order from 20 June, ahead of its launch in July.
Apple Insider obtained the information from a French Web site with the supposed laminated document looking like it is meant for sales floor staff with pricing and additional info on the unannounced iPhone 5S.
Apple seems to be leaning towards a fresh bout of innovation after reports surfaced that the company is working on unusual new battery designs with curved cells and odd shapes. According to Apple Insider, this possibly suggests slimmer and shapelier iOS devices could be in the pipeline.
Troubled waters
In the smartphone market, Apple has had to bow down to Samsung, with the latest IDC report revealing the Korean manufacturer sold more units than the next four vendors combined. While Samsung sold just over 70 million smartphones, Apple, its nearest contender, sold 37 million units.
Apple has occupied the second position for the past five quarters, growing by 6.6% in the first quarter of 2013 with the help of its iPhone 5.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been put under increasing pressure in the past, with industry experts questioning the manufacturer's lack of innovation following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.
World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck concurs. He says while many smartphone manufacturers, including market leader Samsung, are moving towards what the market wants, Apple is falling behind with the iPhone 5. "Consumers want larger screens and unfortunately we are not seeing these products from the Apple stable," he notes.
Redeeming qualities
While iOS might be falling behind, Apple is still the number one vendor in the tablet market, with 19.5 million units shipped in the first quarter of the year. Number two vendor, Samsung, performed above expectations and increased its shipments over the fourth quarter of 2012, as the manufacturer's smaller-sized tablets began to gain momentum in the market.
Tom Mainelli, research director for tablets at IDC, says sustained demand for the iPad Mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than-expected first quarter for Apple.
"In addition, by moving the iPad launch to the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple seems to have avoided the typical first-quarter slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March."
Apple also has the stronghold in the app market, with Canalys' App Interrogator research report indicating Apple's App Store accounted for the largest proportion of revenue between the four app stores, with 74%.
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