Those pesky rumors about the iPhone 6 having a larger screen just won’t go away. Apparently the iPhone 5S wasn’t enough to sate the appetites of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans, even for a short time. So where are the larger screen rumors coming from this time? From these sources, it’s hard to say if they’re simply repeating what’s already been said.
Jefferies predicts a larger iPhone 6
In particular, this week Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said he believes the iPhone 6 will have a 4.8-inch screen. While some think this amounts to confirmation that it will happen, it’s worth noting that he hasn’t had a great track record in predicting what Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will do. He’s been saying he expects the rumored iTV all year long, and that thing has yet to materialize. This time around, at least, his prediction of a 4.8-inch iPhone 6 screen is pretty safe. He’s really not going out on a limb by saying it.
After all, there’s little doubt that Apple needs an iPhone with a larger screen if it’s going to compete with phablets from competitors like Samsung.
Two iPhone 6 sizes in testing
Also this week, DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh said his checks of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s supply chain suggest that the company is testing a 4.7-inch iPhone screen and also a 5.7-inch iPhone screen. This appears to match what we heard earlier this year from other sources. Unfortunately for those who are hoping that the larger of the two sizes will be the one chosen by Apple to put into production, an analyst with a really good track record at predicting Apple’s products—KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo—said the iPhone 6 screen will be 4.5 to 5 inches in size.
So what will the iPhone 6 really end up looking like? Unfortunately we’re going to have to put up with rumors about it until the infernal thing actually comes out. Some analysts, like Hsieh, are predicting that it will be as early as the second quarter of next year. Earlier this year Kuo also suggested it would be out in early 2014, but it would be pretty unusual for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to launch yet another iPhone so quickly, especially since it just launched two new handsets instead of just one.
And besides, the record numbers from this year’s iPhone launch probably suggest to the company that it doesn’t need another really new handset to stay ahead of the competition. The surge in the company’s brand value this year undoubtedly has it laughing all the way to the bank.
