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April 01, 2014

New iPhone 6 Screens Hit Production with May Flowers

The old saying goes that April showers bring May flowers, and while whether or not one expands on the May flowers to note the arrival of pilgrims depends on a matter of personal taste, this year May flowers will bring something else along, according to some new sources in the Apple supply chain. More specifically, this year, May flowers will bring along iPhone 6 screens into mass production, preparing for a wide release this fall.

The supply chain reports suggest that the 4.7 inch screen is likely to be first off the line, while a larger 5.5 inch version may find itself experiencing delays. This still represents good news for Apple buyers, as both screens represent an increase from the previous screen. Both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, at last report, offered 4.0 inch models, which means at least one major improvement is in the offing on this one.

Apple has also pulled out all the stops in terms of screen manufacture, calling in Japan Display Inc., LG Display Co Ltd., and Sharp to start making the screens, according to word from a source who requested anonymity. It's fair to say that Apple wouldn't want a supply shortage, so calling in multiple vendors to handle the screen manufacture looks like a good plan. But at the same time, some are wondering what else is going on that we simply haven't yet heard about.

While larger iPhones would represent something of an improvement to the iPhone line, Apple stock has been generally holding below the $600 per share level for about a year and a half now, going back to November 2012. Some investors have reportedly been concerned about the level of saturation in the smartphone market, and wonder if Apple can keep driving big sales on the back of what amounts to minor improvements.

There's word about further improvements to the iPhone line, particularly with the use of in-cell touch panels that should allow for a thinner overall construction, and that's something of a marvel given the iPhone's current dimensions. The 5.5 inch model, however, may go to a film sensor instead of in-cell touch technology, potentially owing to the difficulty involved in putting in-cell touch technology in a larger iPhone screen. Plus, we've heard plenty of stirrings about “new product categories” from Apple, but those releases are being kept very quiet, sufficiently so to make some wonder if such releases even exist, or will any time soon.

Rumors have emerged about an Apple smartwatch, as well as a complete Apple television previously, but there's a certain amount of veracity to the idea that maybe Apple's ideas are getting a bit stale. This is the iPhone 6 we're talking about here, after all; when anything goes through six successive versions,  it tends to get a bit tiresome. Consider the number of movies or video games that have reached a sixth installment, and the concept becomes clear. Apple's reputation for innovation can really only go so far before people start asking if there's any steak to go with all that sizzle, and Apple seems to be running out of steak.

While only time will tell just how this turns out—who knows what the iPhone 6 will be packing that makes it look brand new and exciting again?--the concerns may well prove valid, and the Apple line may soon be just another commodity in a market glutted with such devices.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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