iPhone 6 rumours: Flexible screen, July launch, 5 colours, 3 sizes, plus a low-cost model

Rumours about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 (or the iPhone 5S) are getting hotter even as the ‘older’ iPhone 5 celebrates its six-month anniversary.

Yes, the iPhone 5 is just six months (and a couple of weeks) old, with the ‘best thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone' (which we don’t agree with) having launched in September last year.

Bloggers and analysts are salivating at the new specs being drip-fed by ‘informed sources’, with rumours flying thick and fast about the iPhone 6’s transparent screen, anti-crash elements, and GPS ability to track you down to even the washroom.

Now, with Samsung busy packaging and shipping the Galaxy S4 for its April 27 availability across the world, more details have surfaced online about the upcoming iPhone 6. If even half of these and the others released earlier turn out to be true, Apple will have a winner on its hands – and ours too.

Flexible screen

The first among the most recent rumours about the upcoming iPhone points to it sporting a flexible screen. This is not so much of a rumour as this has been confirmed by Apple’s recent patent wins, and the speculation is limited to whether or not the upcoming edition of iPhone will sport such a display.

Apple’s patent application generally relates to electronic devices that may have portions that are capable of being flexed. Apple’s patent application for the advanced iDevice flex display features covers a lot of ground including both flex screen designs and flexible components to make these designs work.

One such component is a unique flex battery design. Apple’s patent filing also enlightens us with the fact that bending a future flexible centric iDevice may also allow users to open a specific application, control a game function and so much more.

In the end, the patent filing provides an overview of the whole future flexible device concept that could eventually cover wearable computers, the iPhone, iPad and even aspects of a MacBook.

The patent applications also suggest that flexible electronic devices may be more resistant to damage during impact events such as drops because the flexible device may bend or deform while absorbing the impact. Deformation of this type may increase the duration of an impact, thereby reducing the impulse received by other components of the flexible device.

Five colours

In addition to the display going flexible, Apple is rumoured to, for the first time, ditch the black or white only options, and have three coloured options, meaning the iPhone 6 could finally be the one that comes in a total of five coloured options.

We did tell you about this in January this year, now didn’t we?

Recently, Japanese website Macotakara released news regarding iPhone 5S. It stated that iPhone 5S will have five different colour options, including the usual white and black.

The blog did not mention the additional colours that the iPhone will be sporting – so that’s up for further speculation. We’re thinking red and blue should be the options, along with perhaps purple or maybe yellow… what do you think?

Three sizes

This is one rumour that is increasingly catching online denizens’ fancy – the iPhone 6 is rumoured t come in three sizes a la McDonald’s – small, regular and large. Or, the iPhone 6 Mini, the iPhone 6, and the iPhone 6 XL.

According to a Business Insider report, analyst Brian White of Topeka Capital claims that Apple is looking to release a new iPhone with multiple screen sizes this year – add the iPhone 6 Mini to it, and you have three sizes.

“After our meeting with a tech-supply chain company, we walked away with the view that Apple will release the iPhone 5S in at least two screen sizes this summer and possibly three,” says White.

“Essentially, we believe Apple is coming around to the fact that one size per iPhone release does not work for everyone and offering consumers an option has the potential to expand the company’s market share,” adds White.

So Apple may finally be coming around to acknowledge that one size doesn’t fit all, after all.

Different Price-Points

And while at acknowledging things, it is perhaps only fair that the Cupertino-based tech giant acknowledges that not everyone who aspires for an iPhone may be able to shell out Dh2,500 and upwards for it. According to rumours, Apple will be launching a no-frills version of the iPhone 6 a few weeks after it unveils the upcoming handy candy for those who want the iPhone but can’t afford the current price-tag.

This fits in with the multi-coloured and multi-sized rumours, in that the iPhone Mini may sport different colours and will be cheaper – aimed at students and a generally younger (read: shallow-pocketed) audience. The suggested price-point for the less expensive (still can’t call it ‘cheap’): Dh1,100 ($300) or Dh1,285 ($350).

“We believe this price-point is reassuring for investors that Apple wants to expand its market reach with consumers in developing countries such as China. However, the company will also manage its margin profile and brand accordingly,” White is reported to have said.

Are you kidding us – this price-point should be enough to spike Apple’s market share high enough to reach just under the moon, we think. Bring it on, then.

Launch Date

June, July, August… we’ve heard all three rumours, and still can’t make up our mind on which one to go for. A June launch with availability in July does sound logical – Apple wouldn’t want the Galaxy S4 to have a free hand in the market.

Marcotakara’s report predicts Apple will announce the iPhone 5S launch in July and that shipping will start from August. If Apple can keep the rumour-mill going with an ‘imminent’ launch, then even this might not be a bad strategy.

Either way, we’ll have the iPhone 6 (or iPhone 5S) out within the next three months. Can you wait?

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iPhone 6 rumours: Flexible screen, July launch, 5 colours, 3 sizes, plus a low-cost model


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