Reuters is citing two sources this morning in asserting that production of a cheaper 8GB iPhone 4 has commenced over in Asia, with availability forthcoming “within weeks.” More notably, one of the informants also has intel on Apple’s next-generation iPhone, claiming it should be with us by the end of September. An 8-megapixel camera, a bigger touchscreen, and improved antenna performance are the key improvements noted relative to the iPhone 4. The Reuters report goes on to reiterate earlier speculation dubbing the next iPhone the iPhone 4S — because of its purported similarity to the current-gen handset — but as we’ve reported previously, that appearance may be owing to iPhone 5 hardware being tested in iPhone 4 shells.

The apparent overlap between the mooted release windows for the next-gen iPhone and 8GB iPhone 4 is surely not coincidental. Apple marked its launch of the iPhone 4 back in June last year with the introduction of an 8GB iPhone 3GS for iOS enthusiasts on a budget, and it'd seem logical for the company to replicate that commercially successful strategy with its next round of hardware.

Source: Reuters