iPhone 6 release date imminent as parts arrive for production; Apple to unveil latest handset at WWDC with iOS 7?

Apple fans last year have had to wait over a year to upgrade their iPhones to an iPhone 5, but the next generation handset may launch earlier than expected, according to recent reports.

A new report claims that the upgraded iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 may be released sooner than previously thought, as Chinese factories have already received necessary parts to start building the phones.

According to Patently Apple, a "new Chinese report" claimed that "Apple's noisy supply chain is at it again", meaning that manufacturers have already received necessary parts to begin building the next generation iPhone.

This means that the production of the iPhone 5S/6 may start some time in July, which will be two months after the parts arrived to manufacturers. Two months is the standard timeline between parts arriving and the start of production.

The next generation iPhone is slated to feature a Retina or IGZO screen display and packed with an A7 quad core chip processor. It is also rumoured to have 128 GB internal storage, a 13 mega-pixel camera, and iOS 7. The battery life is expected to be much improved and it may also come with NFC support, which the current iPhone 5 lacks.

Apple is also expected to launch an "affordable" iPhone for customers. The rumoured phone is expected to have plastic casing, a 4-inch display similar to the iPhone 4S, a dual core processor and 8 mega-pixel camera.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developer's Conference will kick off on June 10 in San Francisco. Tickets for the event sold out in under two minutes, setting an all-time record. Apple's latest operating system, iOS 7, is expected to be previewed at the conference. An upgraded line of Macbook Pros and Airs are also rumoured to make an appearance. The iPhone 5S/6 may also be introduced at the conference, which makes sense if rumours of a July release date is true.