14 DAY TRIAL // Sources in Apple’s supply chain are reporting that the Cupertino giant is moving forward with plans to deploy two iPhone 6 models sporting different screen sizes, both of which are bigger than the current-generation model.
Reuters has it on file from industry sources that “Apple Inc suppliers will begin mass producing displays as early as May for the next iPhone, expected to be launched this autumn, with a 4.7-inch screen likely to be produced first while a 5.5-inch version could be delayed.”
The suppliers are Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd, with Japan Display being selected to manufacture the first run of iPhone 6 screens. The remaining two will start their output in June, the report says,
“Both iPhone 6 screens will be larger than the 4.0-inch panels on Apple's existing iPhone 5S and 5C models,” the news agency notes.
Both models are planned to use in-cell touch panel technology, which allows Apple to trim down some of the bulk, “but due to difficulties with in-cell production technology for the larger 5.5-inch size, one of the sources said, a decision was made to begin mass production with the 4.7-inch version alone.”
Therefore, the larger model will not go into mass production until later, the source noted.
“Production of 5.5-inch screens is expected to start several months later, with the possibility of a shift to a film sensor instead of in-cell technology for that size,” this person reportedly indicated.
Provided that the info is accurate, the news is certainly disappointing for customers eager to get their hands on a much larger iPhone model. However, there are also rumors that Apple actually isn’t planning to launch a 5.5-inch model.
The launch date is hard to estimate based on the latest industry chatter. Tim Cook & Co. could well make the announcement at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June and start actual shipments later in the fall, as predicted by some analysts who believe timing is of the essence this year.
Others maintain a conservatory prediction that the Cupertino juggernaut will move forward with its autumn refresh cycles. In any case, even with this launch date in mind, shipments of the larger 5.5-inch model would theoretically be pushed to winter, if not early 2015.
Apple has been faced with supply chain hurdles in the past, such as the time when it struggled to get a white iPhone model out but had to delay it because of problems with the paint.