Force Touch parts for the upcoming iPhone 6s said to have undergone mass production

The insider reports coming from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes says that the supplying partners of Apple have started with the mass-production of the Force Touch parts for the upcoming iPhones that are alleged to be the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. The rumors for the introduction of Force Touch in the upcoming iPhones have been floating since long and now they seemed to have gained some strong momentum. Apple has first used this Force Touch technology in the Apple Watch, which basically differentiates between a Press and a Touch.

One of the companies named TPK that is said to make Force Touch displays has allegedly announced that it would start the mass-production of these components in July. However, TPK refrained to name as the customer for this parts, but for the moment there is no other tech company than Apple who is expected to host this feature in its next flagship. Additionally, the report shows that nearly 36-40 million iPhones are expected to be manufactured in the September quarter, and the number could rise to 50million in the December quarter.  Note that these numbers are only based on estimates.

The rumors have claimed that the two upcoming iPhones will host a similar design to the existing iPhone 6, but with the faster A9 chipset, 2GB RAM, larger 12MP camera with RGBW pixels, 5MP front-facing camera. The material used for its built body is said to be a aluminum alloy. Apple is expected to unveil the handsets next month is September.

source: Digitimes

Force Touch parts for the upcoming iPhone 6s said to have undergone mass production

Most Apple iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus Will Come with New A9 Chipset Manufactured by Samsung

Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S is reported to come with the company’s own A9 Chipset as the processor. It is reported that Apple’s A9 chipset will be manufactured by both Samsung and TSMC (Taiwan Semi Conductor Company) with the latter company tasked with about 30% of the chipset. It seems that Samsung will have an upper hand in manufacturing the SoC as the company has already proven that it can manufacture a 14nm-chip processing technology for Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 chipset which is used in Samsung Galaxy S6 without any hiccups.

TSMC, on the other hand, will not start the mass production until the last quarter of the year. Therefore, this could be mean that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus that is available during the initial days after the launch event will run on processor manufactured by Samsung, if there is no schedule change from TSMC.  TSMC has manufactured all the A8 chipset which was used in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year.

Apparently, apart from the A9 chipset order, Apple has also given order to manufacture the Touch ID fingerprint readers and Cirrus Logic audio chip that will be used in upcoming iPhone 6S series to TSMC as well. However ,there is no official announcement about this.

iPhone 6S and iPhone  6S Plus is expected to launch by the end of the year with only 80 millions units shipped out. The figure is much lower compared with the estimation provided by the market analysts.

Most Apple iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus Will Come with New A9 Chipset Manufactured by Samsung

Apple Told Suppliers to be Ready for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Huge Orders

With the success of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple is confident that the next flagship smartphones, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will also be a huge success. The company is reported to ask the suppliers to make components enough for about 85 to 90 millions of handsets by 31 December as Apple plans to keep the screen size the same. This means that iPhone 6s will have a 4.7-inch display screen size which is the same as iPhone 6 while iPhone 6s Plus will have a 5.5-inch display screen size which is the same as iPhone 6 Plus.

The unit numbers which is ordered is reportedly to be higher than the previous order which Apple placed for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Last year, Apple has placed order for 70 to 80 million units for the previous model.

Apple will be featuring a new feature on the two new models, Force Touch, which the company believes that it will be a game changing feature. Currently, it was being implemented for Apple Watch. Force Touch allows the device to differentiate a hard tap from a light tap on the screen which will then perform a certain different action altogether.

The new flagship smartphones are rumored to use the Series 7000 aluminium to prevent them from bending as well as the rear camera is going to be a 12MP. Moreover, they will be running on the new A9 chipset and having a 2GB RAM.  They also expected to be available in Rose Gold color option.

Apple 6s and Apple 6s Plus is rumored to be officially announced on 11 September and will be released on 18 September.

Apple Told Suppliers to be Ready for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Huge Orders

iPhone6S Boasts Double LTE Speed and More Efficient with new Qualcomm chipset

iPhone6S is reported to have a redesigned wireless system with Qualcomm LTE chip. According to the image of iPhone 6S prototype shared by a few sources, it seems like the device will be using Qualcomm’s MDM9635M chipset which is also known as ‘9X35’ Gobi modem platform. There are a few improvements for this chip compared to the current chip which is used in the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

One of the differences which are can be easily seen is the download speed when connecting to internet using LTE. It is expected that the LTE download speed will be doubled compared to the current ‘9X25’ chip that used in the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The download speed is expected to be up to 300Mbps theoretically with the real world performance closer to 225Mbps or lower. The current download speed of the chip found in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is about 150Mbps. There is no change on the 50 Mbps upload speed limit though.

Another difference is the size of the new iPhone’s logicboard. It seems to be narrower and more compact than the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. This could mean that there is larger battery size. With more power efficient chip combined with a larger battery and iOS 9’s new power saving features, this means that longer battery life.

The “9X35” chip is manufactured using a newer 20nm production process while the current iPhones are manufactured using the 28nm process. The new chip falls into “Category 6” cellular modems due to its speed. Thus it will allow consumers to have shorter download time as well as faster loading time despite of the uneven network response time.  On top of that, it also support other technology such as DC-HSPA, EVDO Rev. B, CDMA 1x, GSM and TD-SCDMA.

The new iPhone will only be ready in 2016.

iPhone6S Boasts Double LTE Speed and More Efficient with new Qualcomm chipset

Rumor Roundup: Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus features, specs, price and release date

Only a few months have passed since Apple unveiled its larger phones iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September 2014 but rumors about Apple’s next generation iPhones which the Cupertino giant will be releasing in 2015 have already begun. Here is a roundup of all the rumors circulating about the successor to iPhone 6 and 6 plus which are being dubbed as iPhone 6s and 6s plus respectively.

More powerful 12MP camera perhaps with 4K video capabilities

Since iPhone 4s released in 2011, all Apple iphones have featured an 8MP camera with only small variations in the size of the sensor. While rivals Sony and HTC shifted to 20MP and 16MP primary cameras, Apple has stuck to 8MP so far. But according to rumors, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus cameras are set to get a bump to 12MP in 2015 and may also feature 4K video recording. Other rumors indicate improvements in camera like dual lens camera with optical zoom feature or a mirror and lens camera system for better image quality.

Force Touch

Apple introduced the Force Touch feature in Apple Watch. This feature enables the device to distinguish between a slight tap and a forceful touch on the display. It is rumored that the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will have the Force Touch feature but it is difficult to say how this feature will work on them.

Apple A9 Chip

Apple had introduced the powerful 64-bit A8 processor in iPhone 6. The new iPhone 6s is expected to get the next gen Apple A9 processor. The 20nm A8 chip was manufactured by TSMC but Apple will probably get the 14nm A9 chip manufactured by Samsung.

Apple will also shift from planar design for transistors to FinFET which does not have power leakage issues like the planar architecture.

 2GB RAM

It is believed that the upcoming iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will sport a 2GB RAM instead of 1GB RAM used in iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The extra memory will provide better multi-tasking features to iOS 9.

Facial Recognition

Apple has been granted a new patent for capturing image of user’s face with the front-facing camera and using it to unlock the device. This facial recognition feature may be used in the new iPhones 6s and 6s Plus.

Improvements in Touch ID

Currently, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor is incorporated beneath the Home button. A new patent filed by Apple indicates that the company has developed technology for incorporating Touch ID sensor into the display screen. One or more fingerprints of the user are detected by the sensor for setting and verifying user’s ID.

Sturdier design, Rose Gold finish

Although the overall external design is expected to be similar to iPhone 6, after the ‘#bendgate’ episode, Apple will surely make its successor sturdier so that it won’t bend to pressure like the iPhone 6. So instead of using 6000-series aluminum for its body, the company might use stronger 7000-series aluminum alloy for its 2015 iPhones.

Rumors say that Apple will be adding a fourth color to its range. Now, apart from Gold, Silver and Space Grey, there will be an iPhone in Rose Gold finish too.

Rose Gold iPhone concept

Apple SIM, Battery Life

The upcoming iPhone 6s and 6s Plus may offer Apple SIM which   features in the new iPads. Apple SIM allows the user to select plans with carrier of their choice without changing the SIM.

The next gen iPhones may also feature wireless inductive charging like the Apple Watch. They may also support new reversible USB charger.

iOS 9 Operating System

It is almost certain that the 2015 iPhones will run Apple’s new iOS 9. Apple is known to release a new version of iOS every year. This year too, it is expected to introduce iOS 9 at the WWDC 2015 to be held in June. Apple may also re-introduce the Beats music subscription service.

Price and release date

Looking to Apple’s release date history, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will most likely launch in September 2015. Their predecessors iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were launched in September 2014.

Their price tags are also expected to remain unchanged with iPhone 6s to cost $200 and iPhone 6s Plus to be priced at $300 for a 2-year contract.

Do you think the next iPhone will be anything like what the rumors say?

Here are some more concept renders of iPhone 6s:

Rumor Roundup: Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus features, specs, price and release date

Reports: Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus to have 2GB of RAM, A9 chipset and 12MP camera

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI securities have earlier provided with some very accurate leaks for the Apple devices and now we have some recent information about the next iPhone iteration which is supposedly the iPhone 6s.

According to the KGI report, the Apple iPhone 6s and its larger variant the 6s Plus would be having a the recent Apple Watch technology of Force Touch on the screen. The technology is all about the specific functions to be performed depending on the touch and press intensity in the screen. A regular touch is considered as a different input than the long press. This new feature is said to be coming in the two upcoming iPhone models. However, KGI also says that Apple is likely tome with the 4inch version of the iPhone 6 for those fans who love small screens.

Additionally, the iPhone 6s will have a 4.7inch display and the iPhone 6s Plus would carry a 5.5inch display. Both the handsets would be powered with a 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM memory and the Apple A9 chipset. The camera to its back would be 12MP and the handset would have a rose-gold variant too as recently seen in the Apple Watch. The production for the two handsets is likely to start this August and a whopping 80-90 million handsets are expected to be sold in 2015 itself.

To prevent any kind of bending, the new models would be using a Series 7000 aluminum and the screen for the handset is said to be made from Sapphire glass. Moreover, the reports also says that to ensure the faster spread of its Apple Pay feature, the Touch ID of the handsets have also been improved.

Well, we expect to get things more clear in the coming days. Stay tuned!

source: TechNews.tw (translated), Money.udn (translated)

Reports: Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus to have 2GB of RAM, A9 chipset and 12MP camera

AUO to get iPhone panel orders, including the one for the 4” iPhone 6c

There has been quite a amount of rumors going on in the industry about the launch of the iPhone 6c ahead this year. Some of the sources from the industry show that Apple has considered AU Optronics as an alternative display supplier for the upcoming iPhone 6S/iPhone 7 or the smaller 4” iPhone 6c.

According to those “supply chain sources” Apple is planning to diversify its screen panel suppliers for its upcoming smartphones. Apple seem to have faced some issues with the current irregular supply chain for its smartphones and it wants to streamline things. AUO is reported to be in line and might already have started making the 4.7 – 5.5 inch LTPS In-Cell displays.

Moreover, some other report coming from Taiwan show that AUO made display screens including those for the 4” panels won’t be seen until 2016. This can probably mean that we might have to wait for the smaller 4” iPhone 6c up to as long as next year.

source: Digitimes

AUO to get iPhone panel orders, including the one for the 4” iPhone 6c

Apple Rumors: Upcoming iPhone 6S Plus to feature Force Touch display

We have already heard rumors that after bringing Force Touch display to Apple Watch, Apple is working to provide the Force Touch feature to its next iPhone.  The rumors have surfaced again, this time from the supplier who has provided the Force Touch panels for Apple Watch.

The supplier is TPK from China and according to a report by UDN, industry insiders say that TPK is set to record a significant growth in profits in the second half of this year because it is supplying Force Touch sensors to Apple along with GIS, another China-based supplier. These new sensors are meant for iPhone 6S Plus.

Force Touch display has a sensor embedded inside it which can distinguish between a light tap and a hard press on the screen by the user. This is a whole new functionality found in the Apple Watch and in the trackpad of the new Macbook. Now it looks like Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6S Plus will be getting it too.

Since the Apple Watch’s Force Touch display is smaller at 1.5-inch and 1.65-inch, it costs around $4 to $5 per unit. In comparison, the iPhone 6S Plus will have a much larger 5.5-inch display and the Force Touch sensor for it will cost about $13 to $14 which is 2.5 times that of the Apple Watch.

The interesting point to note is that iPhone 6S doesn’t seem to be getting the Force Touch display, only it’s bigger counterpart, the iPhone 6S Plus will feature it.

Well, this is not confirmed news, so better to take it with a pinch of salt. We’ll keep you informed when we know more. Stay with us.

Apple Rumors: Upcoming iPhone 6S Plus to feature Force Touch display

Alleged rear cover for the iPhone 6c pictured

We just went around the latest rumor about the Cupertino tech giant Apple planning to come with three different iPhone variants ahead this year. This included a 4-inch iPhone 6c in addition to the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. This means that Apple is all set to come back to its original 4inch handsets along with some newly loaded features of NFC, Gorilla Glass, TouchID sensor while it would trade-off for a cost effective plastic back in place of the metal build.

Talking about its back cover, recently a new picture from the mobile parts reseller Future Supplier has arrived which is allegedly said to be the back cover for the iPhone 6c. the shell in the images below is for a 5inch iPhone 5 and looks pretty much identical to the iPhone 5c. However, if observed more closely a subtle difference can be spotted wherein the camera cut-out for the iPhone 6 is of oval shape while that for the iPhone 5c is round. Additionally the back cover for the iPhone 6c has also get two sets of speaker holes to its bottom. At the same spot, the iPhone 5c has got only one hole.

This means that there are really some visible changes in the design pattern of the alleged iPhone 6c cover than the existing iPhone 5c. this could possibly be the next 4-inch iPhone that we are talking about.

source: Future Supplier

Alleged rear cover for the iPhone 6c pictured

Apple rumored to launch 3 new iPhone models in 2015

A new rumor suggests that Apple may be preparing to launch three new iPhones this year. Two of them will be the usual “S” models that come with certain enhancements including a bump in the processor, and the third is an additional model that will belong to a new class “C”.

Taiwanese site DigiTimes reports that the Cupertino giant is planning to introduce three new iPhone models this year, the iPhone 6S, the iPhone 6S Plus and a low-end 4-inch iPhone that the industry sources are currently referring to as iPhone 6C.

All the three handsets will feature Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) panels covered with Corning Gorilla Glass, Touch ID fingerprint recognition and NFC for Apple Pay, all of which are present in the latest iPhone 6 series. Display panels for all the three models will be procured from Japan Display and LG Display, while iPhone 6C panels will also be additionally sourced from Sharp.

Apple had released its low-cost iPhone 5C in 2013. The handset had a plastic body and came in various colors such as pink, green, yellow and white. It was later rumored that Apple would be phasing out its “C” iPhone lineup but that doesn’t seem to be the case however, if rumors are to be believed.

The 6S series of iPhone models will be using A9 chips and the iPhone 6C will use the A8 chip. DigiTimes also reports that Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron will assemble the 6S series devices and the 6C handset will probably be made by Wistron.

It should be kept in mind that DigiTimes has a mixed track record with respect to rumors, though some of its reports in the past have been spot-on. Apple hasn’t said anything about these three new iPhones yet.

Apple rumored to launch 3 new iPhone models in 2015