Apple will deploy the larger, 5.5-inch version in September, according to Taiwanese media

May 9, 2014 07:09 GMT  ·  By

The next-generation iPhone will be deployed one month earlier than expected this year, according to supply chain sources leaking information to Taiwanese media. Reuters reports that Apple still plans to release a larger version of the handset in September, while the smaller model will be available in shops as early as August.

“Apple Inc will unveil the next incarnation of its popular iPhone series in August, one month earlier than industry watchers were generally expecting, Taiwanese media reported on Friday citing unidentified supply-chain sources,” the report, which doesn’t link to the original source, states.

According to the sources, the first iPhone 6 model to come out of Apple this year will be the one sporting a 4.7-inch display. This variant will not only be unveiled earlier than analysts expected, but will actually “reach stores in August,” according to the Economic Daily News (the source cited in the report).

The newspaper added that “a 5.5-inch or 5.6-inch model will be released in September,” a tidbit that falls in line with numerous other reports claiming Apple will unleash its first phablet onto the market in 2014. Finally, the paper noted that Apple’s manufacturing partners in the Far East will produce a total of 80 million iPhone 6 handsets this year alone (both versions combined).

Apple’s first planned event for 2014 is the Worldwide Developers Conference, which lasts from June 2 to June 6 and will most likely center around software announcements, including the next-generation desktop operating system, OS X 10.10, and the new iOS 8, which is set to focus on health & fitness software, along with an updated version of Apple Maps.

This wouldn’t be the first time Apple hosted two events two months apart, so a new media gathering could be announced for August, while yet another event could be scheduled for October.

Analyst Ming Chi Kuo of KGI securities predicts this exact scenario, with Apple cramming most of its major announcements for 2014 in the third and fourth fiscal quarters. Both iPhone 6 models could be announced at the August event, while the bigger model could be scheduled for shipping at a later date.

At its late-2014 events, the Cupertino giant is also expected to unveil an updated version of its TV box with a fresh underlying OS and access to the iTunes App Store, with a potential focus on gaming. Another product believed to come out of Apple this year is iWatch, a wrist-worn computer that will reportedly take the wearables industry by storm with an array of fitness & health sensors and iOS integration.