Promotional images of the iPhone 5. (AFP)

A story in the China Times claims that a faster, more powerful handset from Apple could ship before summer 2013 and that certification for the device is already underway.

This latest Apple-related rumour comes courtesy of the China Times. The story claims that Apple's decision to replace the iPad 3 with the fourth-generation iPad after a mere seven months was not a one-off decision and that an iPhone 5S could be in stores as early as summer 2013. According to its sources, Taiwanese and Japanese component makers are already engaged and Apple has sent samples to regulators to get the product certified before mass production commences.

If the story is true then the new device is most likely to retain the look and feel of the latest iPhone 5 but will be faster and more powerful than its predecessor -- something familiar to existing Apple consumers who bought an iPhone 3G just months before the 3GS was released, or an iPhone 4 just as the iPhone 4S appeared.

It also follows on from a story from news site DoNews that first surfaced last week claiming that a second-generation iPad Mini with a retina display was only months from its official release. It claimed that display manufacturer AU Optronics (AUO) had already been hired to create 2048x1536 high-definition resolution screens for the new device.