iPhone 6 from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could come as early as September this year, claims a report from Japan’s business daily Nikkei, on Friday. The report claims that the upcoming flagship from the iPhone maker will have higher resolutions and bigger screens.
“Mass production of LCD panels will start as early as the April-June quarter,” Nikkei said, citing sources.
iPhone 6 to be bigger than 5 inches?
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone 6 is expected to come in two screen sizes; 4.7- or 5.5-inch screen compared to the present four-inch panel, says the report.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has not ruled out the possibility of a bigger iPhone. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Cook said “There are many different parameters to measure a display and we care about all those, because we know that’s the window to the software. We want to give our customers what’s right in all respects – not just the size but in the resolution, in the clarity, in the contrast, in the reliability.”
Though there have been many reports in favor of a display over 5 inches, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who has been a reliable source for Apple news, completely disagrees. Kuo argues that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will not come up with a handset exceeding the 5 inch threshold as the company has time and again followed the concept of easy one-handed use.
Manufacturers receiving orders
The Cupertino-based firm has asked the manufacturers including Japanese electronics giant Sharp, Japan Display and South Korea’s LG Display to make higher-resolution liquid crystal display screens, says the Japanese report.
Earlier this month, a report from Taiwan’s Commercial Times claimed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is already developing chips for Apple’s next iPhone or the iPhone 6.
On Wednesday, a report from Digitimes said that the battery manufacturers have received orders for the iPhone 6. UBS analyst Steve Milunovich, on Monday, said that his checks reveal the iPhone 6 could most likely come in August or September. The analyst also claimed that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will surely come up with a 4.7-inch screen while the 5.5-inch display “may or may not launch” at the same time.
Following the news, shares of the Japanese firm Sharp gained 1.96% in the morning trade even though the market in general was flat.
Other expected features
Another unique point of the iPhone 6 could be a Quantum Dot display for which the company presently holds five patents. A recent report from Business Insider claims that Apple may use a new screen for the iPhone 6 that will allow the user to experience a super colorful display.
According to a report from Forbes, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will replace the Corning Gorilla Glass with Sapphire Glass technology. Analyzing the earnings report of GT Advanced, the company Apple is in talks with over Sapphire TouchID Home key and camera lens, the report says that the company could produce 50 million to 100 million Sapphire panels for Apple this year.
In September 2012, Apple launched the iPhone followed by the launch of iPhone 5S and 5C last year.
