Most attention will deservedly fall on the iPhone 5S, which will feature the newest technologies from Apple, but many want to know what will make the budget iPhone so special. We've been following the rumors for over a year now, and we believe we have a great picture of what users can expect from Apple's budget iPhone when it sees its release date next month.?
But before we talk about some of the features of the iPhone 6, here's a little background: Most analysts believe the concept of the iPhone 6 is to offer a cheaper iPhone for lower tax brackets and emerging markets around the world that can't readily afford the newest iPhone, including China and India, two largely untapped markets for Apple. But Apple is particularly interested in China, as proven by multiple recent visits from Apple CEO Tim Cook to the headquarters of China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE:CHL), the largest telecommunications carrier in the world with 703 million subscribers. Many believe Apple has chosen to produce and release the cheaper iPhone 6 so it could strike a deal with China Mobile, and join the company's expansive?TD-LTE network.
Now, without further ado, here are five features of the iPhone 6 you should expect to see at Apple's Sept. 10 unveiling.?
1. Plastic (and less scratchy) form factor. The iPhone 6 is expected to release with many of the same features of the iPhone 5, but the key difference is said to be the form factor, which has reportedly replaced the anodized aluminum body of the iPhone 5 with a cheaper, albeit sturdier and more scratch-proof, polycarbonate shell. Back in January, iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz said?the iPhone 6 will release as a "cross between the iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod touch and -- wait for it -- the iPod classic." With its 4-inch screen like the iPhone 5, a tapered bottom like the latest iPod touch and a rectangular shape like the iPod classic, the budget iPhone 6 is said to be substantially made from plastic but feature a hybrid chassis made of both plastic and metal. The right side of the iPhone 6 features a flat, centered SIM card tray like the iPhone 5, with the locations of the camera, microphone and rear flash located similarly to where they were on the latest-generation iPod touch.
2. Same iPhone 5 specs, same iPhone 5 performance. We believe Apple will release the iPhone 6 with most of the same specs as the iPhone 5, including a 4-inch Retina display at 326 ppi, an A6 chip, a FaceTime HD camera and an 8-megapixel rear side camera; the 8-megapixel camera has already shown up in allegedly leaked photos of the iPhone 6 components.?
3. Five candy colors. The major difference between last year's iPhone 5 release and this year's budget iPhone 6 -- besides the new polycarbonate enclosure -- will be its availability in five different colors (red, green, yellow, blue and white), as opposed to the two silver and slate color options from the iPhone 5. Alleged photos have depicted the iPhone 6 with a black front face on all models regardless of rear shell color, which seems likely, but don't be surprised if Apple includes white or color front-face options when it sees its release date next month.
4. Pre-loaded with iOS 7. Phone hardware tends to get more attention than its software, but the operating system running on the iPhone 6 is just as vital to the iPhone experience as the phone itself. This year, Apple has?completely revamped the?style, icons, textures and features of the iOS ecosystem to provide a familiar but entirely new experience altogether. The release of iOS 7 is a big cosmetic and feature-ridden upgrade with plenty of new tools and features, which could quite possibly be Apple's most successful iOS release to date. Most notable among the new iOS 7 features: The helpful Control Center that contains quick access to important settings; the built-in parallax that shifts the background image in response to one?s movements; a new way to multitask apps; the AirDrop feature for sharing photos or documents with other iPhone users in the area; and much more. For more on iOS 7, check out our?visual guide on iOS 7?to learn more about the new design, some?surprise features we discovered?in the very first iOS 7 beta release, plus our?collection of 80-plus screenshots of iOS 7.?
5. It'll be cheap. Obviously, the selling point of this particular iPhone release won't be its form factor, or its specs, but rather its price (plus its availability in five colors, which will help the iPhone 6 stand out). Many originally predicted Apple would release the iPhone 6 at the same price as the iPhone 4, which is currently being sold for $0 with a two-year contract in the U.S., or in China, about 3,000 yuan (roughly equivalent to $490). This week, these iPhone 6 price rumors seemed to be confirmed by a prominent poster on China's social network Sina Weibo, "C Technology," who also claimed the iPhone 6 will release at the same price as the iPhone 4. KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an excellent record with predicting Apple's product pipeline, also predicted (via MacRumors) the iPhone 6 would release at a price between $450 and $550 off-contract, which would line up with the newest set of rumors.
If these price rumors are indeed accurate, Apple will likely be changing its price strategy across all iPhone lines. With the new iPhone 5S price said to be $199 with a two-year contract, last year's iPhone 5 may drop its price to $99 on-contract, and the iPhone 4S from 2011 may sell for the equivalent of the plastic iPhone 6 at $0 on-contract. Some rumors predicted Apple would eliminate the iPhone 5 from its iPhone lineup with the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S, but given how we believe the iPhone 6 won't release with all of the same specs as the iPhone 5, we believe last year's iPhone model still "deserves to exist" and won't be discontinued just yet. This may be the first year, however, that Apple removes the popular iPhone 4 from its U.S. lineup.
Apple iPhone 6 Coming: When Is The Release Date?
We originally predicted that Apple would reintroduce iOS 7 on Sept. 10 and release the operating system one week and one day later on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Since Apple tends to release its newest iPhone two days after the release date of its newest iOS, we predicted Apple would release at least one of its two new iPhones on Friday, Sept. 20.
Reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said (via MacRumors) that Apple would release its iPhone 5S after the budget iPhone 6 in September due to supply constraints, but we believe Apple will be able to launch both new iPhones on the same release date -- Sept. 20. Apple has reportedly restricted vacation time for Apple employees between Sept. 15 and 28, while T-Mobile has implemented vacation blackouts between Sept. 20 and 22, according to TmoNews. All rumors seem to point to a single Sept. 20 release date for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S.
What do you think of the iPhone 6? Would you consider purchasing an iPhone 6 over Apple?s high-end iPhone line, even if that means sacrificing some key user features to save some money? Do you think Apple will bundle the release dates of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 together? Give us your thoughts of the iPhone 6 in the comments section below.
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