Apple's new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 said to be delayed until next year

Apple's new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 said to be delayed until next year

It seems that Apple is being troubled by production issues. Just last week, we reported that mass production of its hotly anticipated iWatch could be pushed back to as late as November, meaning that supplies will be scarce this year-end holiday season. Now, it seems that Apple's rumored 5.5-inch iPhone 6 is not spared too.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (the same analyst that said that production of the iWatch has been delayed), while Apple's rumored 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is on track for a fall launch, the larger 5.5-inch model could be introduced at a much later date due to production issues.

Specifically, the problems lie in its in-cell touch panel as well as colour uneveness with its new redesigned metal casing.

Kuo stated that these issues are already prevalent in the production of the smaller 4.7-inch model and it is likely to be worse for the 5.5-inch model.

"These problems will likely be even more complicated with a larger size," he said. In particular, he said the new in-cell touch panels may have issues related to touch sensitivity on the edges of the panel as displays become larger in size, making the 5.5-inch model a much greater technical achievement for Apple to accomplish.

Additionally, Kuo also said that the larger 5.5-inch model's scratch-resistant sapphire display will struggle to pass drop tests in the near term.

As a result, Kuo said that the "most conservative scenario" is that Apple launch the 5.5-inch model next year. However, he did not rule out a possibility that the 5.5-inch model could debut just before the holiday season in November, but believed that to be very unlikely.

Source: AppleInsider


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