One analyst says an iPhone 6 with a 4.8 inch screen will come out in the first quarter of next year. However, some photos that were leaked over the weekend seem to contradict those claims. Also a blogger makes the case for why Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may skip the iPhone 5S and go straight for the iPhone 6 this year.
Earlier Report About An iPhone 6 Phablet
Glen Yeung is the Citi analyst credited with reporting recently that the iPhone 6 will be released early next year and sport a 4.8 inch screen. He also said the iPhone 5S has been delayed two to four weeks, pushing it past a September launch, but months before the iPhone 6.
Leaked iPhone 6 Photos?
The Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo shows off what it claims is an iPhone 6 or 5S front panel which looks very similar to that of the iPhone 5. The French site Nowhereelse published the photos as well. The frame shows what appears to be a screen size that’s similar to that of the iPhone 5S, although the sensors have been rearranged. On the surface, this would seem to contradict what Yeung said about a 4.8 inch iPhone 6.
Last week there were indications that iPhone 6 components were on order ahead of a September arrival of the handset. There were also some photos which supposedly showed iPhone 6 or 5S components which were different colors than those of earlier iPhone models.
iPhone 6 Or iPhone 5S?
One thing that’s worth noting about these supposedly leaked photos of the iPhone 6 or 5S is the expectation that we could see a low-cost version of the iPhone, possibly along with the updated high-end flagship model this year. If this happens, there’s a chance that these leaked photos could be of the low-end model rather than the 4.8 inch phablet Yeung is expecting.
The other thing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans should note about these new photos is that they appear somewhat staged. There is a series of photos showing Chinese factory workers sleeping on the line and not wearing safety gear.
The Case For Skipping iPhone 5S And Going To iPhone 6
There’s also been a lot of debate about whether Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will break tradition and make its next flagship the iPhone 6 rather than the iPhone 5S. Stabley Times’ Will Stabley points to reasons why this may actually happen. He says there are enough indications that Apple will indeed break tradition this year.
He takes us back to 2008 when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) dumped its rubber and metal iPhone and went to the plastic 3G iPhone in 2008. The company used the same design again the third year, and Apple fans took that as an indication that the next design was behind schedule. Then we had the iPhone 4, and Stabley says the iPhone 4S was simply another delay before we received the iPhone 5, which was delayed. He makes the case that Apple has been trying to get out of the S schedule for years by releasing plan B phones that offered only modest upgrades, which he believes means that there will be an iPhone 6 this year rather than next.
