Why Apple Won’t Release The iPhone 6 This Year
If we are going to ask you what would you rather Apple release in the near future between the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6, what would you choose? We are pretty sure most of you would choose the iPhone 6 without thinking too much. That is because the sixth main entry is more popular in consumer’s minds than the S variant. This popularity has led to the birth of many rumors about how the Cupertino based giant might skip the iPhone 5S releasing the iPhone 6, thus letting the iPhone 5S in the trash can, with the iPhone HD and other rumored iPhone models.
This situation happened before, two years ago, when Apple released the iPhone 4S. Back then some people were also expecting Apple to skip the iPhone 4S and release the iPhone 5, though the level of expectations was not as high as it is today, with many publications claiming that Apple will release the iPhone 6 this year. There have even been rumors that the budget iPhone would actually be the iPhone 6 and it will be released in iPhone 5S’ place.
While many people want Apple to jump to the sixth main entry and skip the small upgrade that the iPhone 5S is rumored to be. But people don’t want an iPhone 6 just in name, they don’t want the same iPhone 5 hardware and features just sold as a new product. However, it is hard to believe that we will see an iPhone 6 that reflects Apple’s next generation future (both feature and hardware wise) this year. All the leaks, analysts and even logic dictate that this year we will see a small upgrade (the iPhone 5S) while the iPhone 6 will only arrive next year. Read further for why you should not expect seeing the iPhone 6 released this year, regardless of how many rumors say otherwise.
Leaks and rumors
As most of you probably know, there are many iPhone 5S related leaks and some of them even show the supposed smartphone to be almost the same as its predecessor, the iPhone 5, from a design point of view. Last month there were a couple of leaks showing the supposed back, logic board and battery of the iPhone 5S. And if these leaks are true, we can say that while the iPhone 5S definitely looks like the iPhone 5, it is clearly a different smartphone than the one that you can currently buy from stores.
As we already mentioned, what we learned from those leaks is that the iPhone 5S’s components look similar to those of the iPhone 5′s. However there is a blueprint showing a new dual LED flash. These leaks seem credible enough and they portray the iPhone 5S as very similar (though different) to the iPhone 5, all of these leaks pointing at a 2013 release of the iPhone 5S.
The iPhone 5S is not a problem
Most of the rumors suggesting that Apple might skip the iPhone 5S, suggest that releasing a small update as an “S” release and a big update as a main entry is problematic for Apple, but the problem is actually a good one. To understand why, take a look at Android users: just months after they buy the latest available smartphone on the market, they wish for a newer and better Android smartphone. However, that is not the case with Apple smartphones, as the limited choice and release cycle works in Apple’s favor maintaining users happier for a longer period of time.
2013 is a good example and the Cupertino based giant already started the marketing machine. Apple is filling the lack of a new hardware with a new and amazing software; at this year’s WWDC event Apple said that the iOS 7 is “The biggest change to iOS since the iPhone”. Craig Federighi, Apple SVP of Software engineering says that upgrading to the latest version of Apple’s mobile Operating System feels like “[...] getting a new phone”.
iPhone 6 will have a new design
Everybody know this, but it is still worth noting as it fits with the previous reasons. The main iPhone releases, the ones that only have a digit (no S), bring a new design and experience. These main iPhone releases saw Apple increase screen size, offer a higher resolution display that you could say started the race for a high pixel count on a smartphone’s display, add LTE and change many things that set trends. All of these things happened on main entry releases.
The iPhone 6 will have a new design (unlike the design suggested by last months’ leaks) and new features that are probably not part of many devices yet. Besides a new design, you can also expect a higher resolution display, VOLTE tech (for better sound in calls) plus the ability to talk and navigate online at the same time for Verizon users. And if the iPhone 5S won’t come with a fingerprint reader (as it is rumored), then you can be pretty sure that the iPhone 6 will.
So, is it possible that Apple will release the iPhone 6 this year? Sure, at this point everything is possible. But if that will happen and the iPhone 5S will be skipped, don’t expect the iPhone 6 to be a budget iPhone or an iPhone that shares a similar design to the iPhone 5′s. The latest rumors and reports state that an iPhone 6 prototype has a much bigger display with a higher resolution) and no home button. If we also factor the many reports and rumors hinting at a 2014 (at the earliest) release for the iPhone 6, we will get a picture in which the odds of Apple releasing the iPhone 6 this year as small to none.
