It really doesn’t feel like summer time if there isn’t at least one new iPhone rumor per week to satiate the Apple consumer’s appetite, even if said rumor doesn’t necessarily hold up under scrutiny. Filling in that need today is the report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes stating that one of the two iPhone 6 models, both initially expected for release this September, will be released several months later than the other.
According to DigiTimes’ sources in the iPhone supply chain, the larger of the two smartphone models, the 5.5 inch one, will have its release date pushed back several months. Surprisingly, the delay is said to be unrelated to recent reports of production snags, but is rather a decision that shows Apple learning from past mistakes. The releases are being staggered so that Apple doesn’t have two competing smartphones launching on the same day, a mistake (say the sources) the company made with last year’s 5s and 5c handsets.
9to5Mac journalist Ben Lovejoy has pointed out that supply chain rumors are often dubious and that this report doesn’t seem to hold up under scrutiny.
“…even assembly companies like Foxconn, who will know how many orders Apple has placed for completed products by specific dates, don’t have any knowledge of the company’s reasoning,” writes Lovejoy. “Apple is not in the habit of sharing its strategic thinking with suppliers.”
He goes on to argue that when taken by the numbers, last years double iPhone release, though perhaps surprising, was in no way “a mistake.”
Like all Apple rumors, whether it involve heart rate measuring earbuds, sapphire touch screens or production delays, nothing will be official until the official keynote. That said, this is the second rumor in as many weeks suggesting that something – whether it be production problems or hindsight – will be keeping the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 from launching in September.
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