Every year an iPhone is released, and every year the lead-up to announcement is peppered with leaks, rumours and speculation of all kinds. While much of it turns out to be spurious, the odd grain of truth does turn up now and again – and that keeps the game interesting.
Without further comment then, here are the latest rumours regarding the iPhone 6.
June release date
The earliest releases of the iPhone came in the middle of summer, June or July. From the iPhone 4S onwards though, we’ve seen releases in autumn, September or October. Now, word from blogger and leak specialist Eldar Murtazin is that we’re due to return to a summer release. According to him, the iPhone 6 will be released in June, as part of an increasingly short release cycle for mobile manufacturers. He earlier wrote that the Galaxy S5, the biggest competitor to the iPhone 6, would be announced in February and released in April.
Increased screen sizes
Another staple of iPhone 6 rumours has been an increased screen size. Apple spent a long time on 3.5 inches (from the original iPhone to the iPhone 4S) before moving to 4 inches with the iPhone 5. Now, QQTech is reporting that we’ll see two screen sizes released in 2014: a 4.7 inch display at a resolution of 1136 x 640 and a later 5.7 inch display. A similar report came from DisplaySearch, who stated that the iPhone 6 would have a 5.5 inch 1080p display.
These increased screen sizes, if true, would be the biggest screen size jump the iPhone has ever seen. In order to not alienate their users, Apple would continue to offer the iPhone 5S and 5C.
Apple have long poked fun at large screen sizes, but Apple CEO Tim Schiller deflected an opportunity to do so in response to a question in China about larger iPhones. He stated instead that “…we never talk about future things. We have great things we are working on but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it.” It’s hardly a confirmation of a larger phone, but it’s a far cry from the dismissive tone we’ve heard from Apple in the past.
A new name
Another fun topic of speculation is the name of the next iPhone. Murtazin cleverly avoided the issue by calling it the “next-gen iPhone”, but what will it actually be called? The iPhone 6 is a strong contender, as it follows the tick-tock pattern we’ve seen since the 3G and 3GS. Another name might be possible though – particularly if we do see a much larger iPhone. The latest iPad got a new thinner shape and a new name – the iPad Air. Might we see a similar naming scheme and get the iPhone Air? It’s possible.
Conclusion
Even with an earlier-than-usual June launch, we still have five months of rumours, leaks and speculation ahead of us. We’re sure to see a whole lot of false information out there, but we’ll do our best to only bring you the most likely options. We had an almost perfect knowledge of the iPhone 5 and 5S before their release, and I would expect the same for the iPhone 6. It’ll be an interesting few months!
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