Costly Sapphire Displays Could Cause More Delays for Larger iPhone 6
Even as our understanding of the forthcoming iPhone 6 starts to take shape, it seems every few days there’s a new rumor that forces us to reconsider. For instance, we’ve heard more than a few times that Apple plans on releasing two models of the next iPhone: one 4.7-inch phone definitely coming out sometime this year, with a larger 5.5-inch phone slated for a late-2014 or early 2015 release. But a new post on Macrumors seems to indicate that fans hoping to snag one of the larger iPhones will have to wait even longer than we’d first thought.
According to the post, new information has come via Chinese blog Weibo, which says that the costs associated with manufacturing sapphire screens for the larger iPhone are causing major headaches in Apple’s supply chain. Apparently the cost of making a sapphire screens for the iPhone 6 costs about $280 apiece—while the 4-inch Retina display found on the most recent models of iPhone only cost $44. That difference could drive up the final cost of the iPhone 6, and as such, may mean that only premium iterations of the newest handset will receive the sapphire glass display.
Whatever course of action Apple decides to take, it seems clear that no one’s going to get an iPhablet until at least early 2015—if not later than that. We’ve already heard reports that the larger iPhone 6 has been delayed due to suppliers having a hard time finding batteries appropriate for the super-thin, super-tall iPhone model. This latest display-related delay can only mean more frustration for Apple executives who’d been hoping to get two new iPhone models out the door before the end of the year.
Of course, it’s important to take all this with a grain of salt. No sense in getting upset about the rumored delay of a product that’s not even been announced in any way yet. So just cool your jets.
[Source: Macrumors]