As Apple continues to prepare itself for the launch of the iPhone 6s, ValueWalk examines the latest rumors and information about this critical smartphone release. Apple has set the unveiling date for this device at September 9, with invitations having already gone out for a massive event at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco, California.
With seating for this event apparently equal to 7,000 people, significantly more than previous iPhone launches, it is clear that Apple is going back to its policy of stellar device launches. This was dampened down somewhat when the Apple Watch was released, not least because Apple had no idea what to expect from sales of its first smartwatch. But it seems that the corporation intends to deliver an iPhone 6s release that competes with the most lavish events in its history.
Storage capacity and camera
The first iPhone 6s rumor that has emerged over the last week involves someone that will be known to all of the Apple-following community. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a note to investors indicating his belief regarding the storage capacity of this important smartphone release. Kuo believes that the iPhone 6s will be offered in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage capacities, essentially ensuring that there will be no upgrade in this department over the existing iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
However, it is not hugely surprisingly that Kuo also suggests that there will be significant improvements to the portfolio of iPhone 6s features. Central to these will be an upgraded front-facing FaceTime camera, which the KGI Securities analyst believes will feature a 5-megapixel sensor. It seems that the selfie-producing capabilities of smartphones are becoming increasingly important as major social media sites that focus on photographs, such as Instagram and Snapchat, gain traction with millennials.
Force Touch debut
In addition, Kuo also predicts that Apple will indeed include Force Touch technology in the iPhone 6s; a much rumored occurrence among analysts over the last 12 months. It seems completely logical for Apple to migrate this feature from the Apple Watch smartwatch, and indeed Kuo considers this to be a formality. The inclusion of Force Touch would see Apple likely to promote this as a major innovation in the iPhone series, with the ability of the technology to enable consumers to access certain functions via different severities of pressure being placed on the iPhone unit an exciting new feature.
Rose gold casing
Kuo also believes that Apple will unveil a new rose gold casing color when the iPhone 6s is released. This has been a popular aspect of the Apple Watch as well, and Apple placed a particular emphasis on delivering multiple choices to consumers when the smartwatch was released. It now seems that this will form part of the overall Apple ethos going forward, although obviously the large number of choices that were delivered to Apple Watch users would be completely impractical with the complex device that is the iPhone.
The analyst also suggests that the iPhone 6s has already entered mass production. This would be expected ahead of a release date that is anticipated to be towards the end of September. Reports already suggest that Apple will produce 90 million iPhone units before the end of the year; more than it has ever manufactured of any previous variant in the series. According to the KGI Securities main man, the iPhone 6s has experienced manufacturing bottlenecks due to issues related to Force Touch, casing and vibration motors. But production is now apparently back on track.
Supplier breaks veil of secrecy
In other news this week, some interesting information emerged from a very credible source. Considering the veil of secrecy under which Apple shrouds its products, it is unusual for any company involved in the manufacturing process to reveal any significant data. However, Japan Display CEO Mitsuru Homma did precisely that this week, informing reporters of inside information relating to its largest client.
Homma suggested that Apple is increasing orders for one of the components that Japan Display delivers to the smartphone giant. Although his comments where a little cryptic, it is nonetheless clear that Homma was referring to Apple, and that this is expected to play a significant role in the manufacturing of the next generation iPhone 6s. This suggests that previous reports about a record number of iPhone 6s units being produced could turn out to be accurate.
China syndrome
In addition, Homma also asserted that the economic problems that China has been experiencing will not translate into weaker demand for smartphones in the world’s most populous nation. The economic slowdown in China has actually had a significant impact on Apple, as it was in fact Chinese malaise that was most readily blamed for the recent dip in Apple’s share price.
China is also becoming an increasingly important marketplace for Apple, and indeed it has been reported recently that Apple is now shifting more smartphone units in the East Asian economic powerhouse than even the United States. With the smartphone marketplace mostly considered to be saturated in the Western world, it is generally considered that growth in China and other developing economies will be central to the future prospects of Apple.
Release date
Aside from the information that has seeped out recently, it is also strongly expected that the iPhone 6s will be released on September 25. This is due to a late e-mail from the British carrier Vodafone which suggested that this date is carved in stone. Pre-orders of the iPhone 6s are expected to begin one week before this date, with Apple giving consumers a 10-day period to prepare themselves for this eventuality.
Other iPhone 6s specs
Another major new aspect of the iPhone 6s is an expected upgrade in screen resolution. With reports suggesting recently that Apple is currently working on a brand new technology related to 4K resolution for the next generation iPhone 7 to be released in 2016. We can therefore have some idea of what to expect in this department from the iPhone 6s. It seems likely that Apple will deliver a quad HD version of the iPhone 6s, with the traditional smartphone-sized variant of the iPhone 6s more likely to be full HD.
Apple is also expected to double the RAM in the iPhone 6s over the iPhone 6, after some users complained about the relative sluggishness of the current generation Apple handset. It would seem to be a necessity for Apple to deliver more memory considering that the smartphone will be dealing with an improved screen resolution in all probability.
Murmurings have also gathered pace that suggest Apple will include a revolutionary form of aluminum in the iPhone 6s with the aim of eliminating the bending of the device. Series 7000 aluminum has been earmarked for the smartphone, as Apple attempts to avoid the sort of embarrassing Bendgate headlines that it inadvertently generated with the current generation iPhone.
With just days until the iPhone 6s is on sale, the anticipation among Apple followers is becoming massive, and we don’t have too long to find out what Apple will deliver with this critical smartphone release.
