iPhone 6s (Photo : Twitter)
Apple will reportedly release a 4-inch device that will join the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus rollout this year. However, rumors coming from Asia indicate too that the smallest of the new iPhones will not be unboxed until the early months of 2015.
It is unclear if the plan is to retire the iPhone 5S and 5C, both with 4-inch screen profile, but according to G4Games, the compact model remains in the pipeline. The report was based on rumors from supply chain sources in Asia that said Apple has already contracted suppliers for a new device model that is smaller than the 6S and 6S Plus.
The report also suggested that orders of the 4-inch panel will be sourced from China, South Korea and Taiwan but one specific company was pinpointed as a likely Apple partner on the project. The blog identified the firm as AU Optronics, a long-time iPhone supply chain player.
While the details provided in the report were for the most part sketchy, it was mentioned that the planned device will not be unleashed with the iPhone 6S this year. Shipments for the smaller iPhone will only start in the first quarter of 2015.
iPhone 6C
The report likewise said that the project pertains to the iPhone 7 rollout next year so the 4-inch model will likely take the name iPhone 7C. The labeling, however, seems inconsistent with recent indicators, according to Apple-dedicated tech blog site Apple Insider.
First, it is quite unthinkable that Apple will push out a sequel to the iPhone 6S after only a few months of its initial availability. The scheduling also deviates from the release template that the tech giant has been using, which is around the last quarter of the year for its flagship devices that also capitalizes on the holiday season.
The 7C naming appears also in opposite direction of the release path that Apple is setting for the year. It is likely that the 4-inch iPhone version will be packaged with the 6S and 6S Plus but will only be made available at later date.
So iPhone 6C makes more sense, Apple Insider said on its report, adding that popular KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo had predicted earlier this year that Apple indeed plans to refresh its 4-inch line up, which currently consists of the premium-made iPhone 5S and plastic-wrapped 5C.
Upgrades
The 6C, Kuo said, will deliver the services that Apple has recently introduced, foremost of which the fast-expanding Apple Pay. As the 5S and 5C hardware specs can no longer accommodate the technology used in Apple Pay, the tech giant is somehow compelled to issue a new version of the compact iPhone, the analyst added.
Kuo further explained that the supposed iPhone 6C release date also highlights the fact that Apple acknowledges that a sizeable number of iPhone users still prefer the easier to handle 4-inch model.
