Analysts Say iPhone 5 Won't Be Released Until October Or November

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Will 2011 be the year of the iPhone 5? It’s looking doubtful, or at least that’s what analysts at Susquehanna Financial are calling, as problems emerge on the iPhone 5. Though looking at it, these may not be problems at all.

The word, which reportedly comes from analysts at Susquehanna Financial, says that the original date of September to see the iPhone 5 start hitting stores has been delayed by at least a month, and possibly even two, due to delays in production. Just what those delays are specifically is as yet unclear, but they’re now projecting that the phone will hit shelves in October or November at the outside. This projection conflicts with earlier reports that pegged the iPhone 5 release at 2012, though since it’s suggesting a release this year, you may be happier to hear it.

And this got me wondering. See, we all know that the last two months–in some cases three–are devoted largely to shopping for the various holidays that take place at the end of the year. Many shop for Christmas, though there’s also Chanukah and Kwanzaa shopping in there too. If Apple launched a product in September, then you know that the run-up would start probably in August, or maybe even July. They’d launch in September, have a good burst of sales, and then suddenly, everybody and his mother would start screaming about what they’ve got for Black Friday deals. Apple would be part of that cacophony with a month-old product. But if Apple waits a month, maybe two, then the run-up starts two months later, they get their big product announcement right at the outset of the shopping frenzy, and then everybody else is shouting their deals…and competing for space against the new iPhone, which will be news everywhere.

Basically, I’m left to wonder if this is really a “delay” or an intentional marketing move to drop the new iPhone into the mix at exactly the right time for holiday shopping frenzies. It would seem to make a lot of sense, at least from here.

And what do you guys think? It’s plausible that Apple’s having delays, given the supplier troubles they’ve had with the iPad and the ongoing Japanese disaster. But it’s just as plausible to think that Apple’s delay isn’t so much a delay as it is a plan. Whatever side you weigh in on, head on down to the comments section and make your position known.