Apple did just the right thing in stretching the screen size of the new iPhone 5 to 4.0 inches and deploying much-faster cellular connectivity with the gadget, which rolls out beginning Sept 21, a new report said.

It has been projected that Apple will again hit the big bucks with its new smartphone but according to IHS iSuppli, the tech giant would get more from what has been projected, both internally and by analysts, because the new Apple toy is finally catching up with the screen-size race that is previously the exclusive turf of Android phones.

It is highly likely that by the end of 2012, 149 million iPhones - comprising all the available models out in the market - will be shipped out from Cupertino, California, the new IHS report said on Thursday, a day after the new iPhone 5 was revealed in San Francisco.

IHS' prediction is largely supportive of key analysts take that it'll be a major haul for Apple beginning the last quarter of 2012, with Bloomberg declaring earlier that the company could easily fetch over 50 million buys of iPhone 5 in Q4 alone.

In fact, many experts have been singing the same chorus that in the remaining days of September alone, some 10 million global consumers would rush to grab the new gizmo as soon as Apple stores and other retailers commenced its global sale.

What was unveiled on Wednesday, IHS analyst Daniel Gleeson said, veered dramatically away from what Steve Jobs had presented during the earlier iPhone editions.

"The addition of a new, larger screen is a fundamental change in product design," Mr Gleeson said.

The new iPhone form-factor presents a taller, thinner and lighter handset that now sports a different aspect ratio, which IHS should not be a problem at all for the hordes of app developers for Apple's ecosystem.

IHS senior analyst Jack Kent said early distraction might be encountered by app designers because of iPhone 5's upgraded screen size but definitely they implement the necessary adjustments to accommodate Apple's hardware revisions.

After all, "the iOS ecosystem is still the most valuable mobile content marketplace, despite Android's size advantage," Mr Kent added.

Another come on for the new iPhone 5 is its 4G-LTE capability and IHS is expecting that the mobile phone will act as catalyst for the super-fast wireless connectivity to further explode the world over.

Key markets such as North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region will naturally accelerate the build up of their 4G-LTE network infrastructures in order to meet consumer demands for faster mobile network now that Apple is in the game, the IHS report said.

Even telcos with 4G-LTE networks that currently were not compatible with the new Apple handset would be compelled to adjust accordingly and fast because they would not want to be left behind with the so-called iPhone revenue rush.

Everybody would like to have a bite on the gigantic pie that Apple has created. IHS analysts said.

All told, the new iPhone 5 brings with it "major improvements (that) will drive strong sales," Mr Gleeson said.

From the 93 million iPhones that the company had pushed out in 2011, Apple will see its smartphone shipments surge by at least 60 per cent by the end of the current year, IHS said.