ANALYSTS say the iPhone 6, expected next year, is likely to take on
bigger-screened phones from Samsung and HTC with an ultra-tough sapphire
crystal display.
The material, which has previously been used only for small components, such as the lens cover on the iPhone 5S, won’t scratch even when rubbed against concrete.
The iPhone 5S and 5C, released two months ago, disappointed some Apple fans by retaining the screens of their predecessors. The four-inch iPhone display is now significantly smaller than that of many rivals – Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, for example, has a 5.7-inch screen.
“Apple's 2013 focus was a less expensive iPhone to go alongside its standard flagship offering,” MacRumors reports, “while 2014 development [will] centre around a bigger display.”
“Apple is reportedly testing a variety of different prototypes,” the site continues. “All of the reports have indicated a size ranging from 4.7 to 5.7 inches.”
The new model is not expected until next autumn, by which time Apple is also expected to have unveiled its long-awaited iWatch.
"While Samsung launched its version of a smartwatch, Galaxy Gear in September of 2012, Apple is reportedly taking its time and working hard, trying to solve the iWatch's battery life before the company finally launches it," International Business Times reports. "Apple wants to extend the battery life of iWatch from four to five days, making it three days longer than the battery life of the Galaxy Gear."
Know Your Mobile suggests that the iPhone 6 will in fact be two phones - one similar in size to the current model and another, much larger, device to compete with the bigger phone-tablet hybrids, often called phablets.
“There may be multiple models, just as we saw with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C,” the site reports. “We may be looking at a 4.8-inch ‘standard’ model to replace the iPhone 5S and a larger 5-inch to 6-inch model as a phablet competitor.”
In order to increase the size of the screen while maintaining the Retina resolution of the existing device, Apple will have to boost the pixel count of the new screen. That means app developers will need to redesign their apps to fit the new screen dimensions.
Recent reports have suggested that the screen, whatever its size, will be made from sapphire crystal – a hardwearing manmade material.
Apple has paid $578m to GT Advanced Technologies, a sapphire crystal manufacturer, to gear up for production on a large scale, according to the International Business Times.
More iPhone 6 rumours
There's no shortage of speculation about what will be included in the next iPhone, much of which seems to be based on wishful thinking:- Studio flash: Apple is working on a way of letting iPhones control
flashes built into a range of phones and tablets in order to light a
scene from multiple angles, according to Apple Insider, which unearthed a patent for the system. There's no hint about when the system might make it into production
- Eye-tracking: Some rumours
suggested that the iPhone 5S would be eye-controlled, allowing users to
scroll through pages without touching the device. When the technology
failed to materialise in the last model, hopeful observers shifted their
attention to the iPhone 6.
- NFC: Another long-predicted feature, Near Field Communication or NFC
would allow the phone to act as a payment system. Users would wave
their handsets over a receiver to transfer money in shops and
restaurants, or between friends. Several Android and Windows Phone
devices already support NFC payments, but Apple has yet to make the
leap.
-
Retina-scanning security: The same people who came up with the
curved-screen iPhone now have more unsolicited advice for Apple. SET
Solution’s video
shows a phone equipped with an eye-scanner that would be used to unlock
the phone and log in to iTunes, online banking and other accounts.
Although this technology is very unlikely to make it into the iPhone 6,
it looks like a good long-term bet.
iOS 8: Apple tends to announce new software at the same time as new hardware, so this is a dead cert – although what features it will include is much less clear. "We expect iOS 8 to build on the foundation of iOS 7, meaning users should not expect Apple to abandon the current design," says GottaBeMobile. "Instead, it should come with tweaks and enhancements to current features in addition to new ones, of which the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s will both benefit."
iPhone 6: Sapphire screen 'tougher than concrete'
5 DecemberAPPLE has spent more than half a billion dollars developing a sapphire crystal screen for the iPhone 6 that won't scratch even when rubbed against concrete, according to the latest reports.
Sapphire glass is around 2.5 times more durable than Corning Gorilla Glass which is utilised in several smartphones in the market today, reports International Business Times. "The sapphire glass can simply break pieces of concrete leaving no scratches on it," it says.
Sapphire crystal is already used on the iPhone 5S, launched two months ago, but only on the rear camera's protective lens and the cover of the fingerprint-reading Touch ID button.
The material has previously been used sparingly due to its relatively high cost and the low volumes produced. Now, Apple is spending heavily to bring it into the mainstream.
Apple paid a total of $578m to GT Advanced Technologies [a sapphire crystal manufacturer] to speed up the development of its next generation, large capacity furnaces to deliver low cost, high volume manufacturing of sapphire material, claims the IBT report.
A scratch-proof screen would give the iPhone 6 a clear marketing advantage over its rival smartphones – but it is likely to come at a cost. Even before news of Apple's investment in sapphire technology broke, analysts were predicting that the next model would be more expensive.
"We see the potential for the iPhone 6 price point to move higher, to avoid the profit margin erosion that occurred when iPhone 5 launched," Chris Caso of Susquehanna Financial Group told Investors.com last week.
"When iPhone 5 was launched, Apple's phone margins declined because the new features (most notably the display) added cost to the bill of materials, yet the price point of the phone remained unchanged. Since we're expecting a host of new features in the iPhone 6 (including a larger screen), we expect the bill of materials cost of the phone to increase as well."
iPhone 6: Wraparound concept unveiled – at a cost
27 NovemberiPhone fans unimpressed by the incremental changes of the 5S and 5C handsets released earlier this year are set to see the dramatic hardware upgrade they had hoped for.
Analysts and Apple-watchers alike are convinced that the iPhone 6, expected in the middle of next year, will sport a significantly larger screen - and one designer has laid down the gauntlet with a slick wraparound display.
Iskander Utebayev’s design (see video below) stretches the screen over three sides of the handset, replacing the aluminium volume controls on the side of the current iPhone with touchscreen buttons.
That raises some concern among YouTube commenters, who suggest that it would be impossible to hold the phone without unintentionally activating the side-buttons. Others worry that a glass-edged phone would be even more fragile than current models.
Even if the wraparound design proves too radical for Apple, industry analysts are confident that the next iPhone will have a bigger screen – and a bigger price-tag.
"We see the potential for the iPhone 6 price point to move higher, to avoid the profit margin erosion that occurred when iPhone 5 launched," said Christ Caso of Susquehanna Financial Group, according to Investors.com.
"When iPhone 5 was launched, Apple's phone margins declined because the new features (most notably the display) added cost to the bill of materials, yet the price point of the phone remained unchanged. Since we're expecting a host of new features in the iPhone 6 (including a larger screen), we expect the bill of materials cost of the phone to increase as well."
Apple has previously launched new products at the same price as the models they replaced, but last month it introduced a price rise with the new iPad Mini.
Forbes recently reported that the iPhone 6 may come with a “manmade sapphire crystal” screen, which would make the handset more resistant to scratches, but increase the cost.
“Imagine an Apple advertisement showing a user trying to scratch an iPhone screen with a key but unable to do so,” the publication says.” Such an advertisement will go a long ways towards countering those who claim that Apple is no longer innovating.
Apple gets more unsolicited advice from Design&Trend, which suggests that the next iPhone could be substantially bigger. That would pit it against hybrid phone-tablet devices, also known as “phablets”.
“While Apple has been hesitant to join rival Samsung in the ‘phablet’ sector of the smartphone market,” the site reports, “the company has apparently realised the vast untapped potential that lies there. One element of smartphone design Apple has repeatedly stated it will stick to, however, is the ability to hold any iPhone with one hand.”
Bloomberg reported earlier this month that the iPhone 6 would have a curved screen – which would increase the surface area without adding too much to the overall width of the handset.
The report suggested that the phone would be released in the second half of next year.
