Remember the iPhone 5c? It was an interesting time when the first so-called “budget-friendly” iPhone was rumored to have a scheduled date of market arrival. We even witnessed photo leaks from within the factory, with plastic pieces bearing the “iPhone 5c” label on them – a clear reference to the phone’s nomenclature and existence. Apple has, of course, clamped down on leaks since then, so we’ve had little to go on outside of the claims of KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and a few others who know the industry, but a new rumor is turning up the heat on the faint whispers about Apple’s next colorful handset.
The source says that Apple’s supplier, Foxconn, is now hiring workers to increase production capacity for the new handset. The same company has been working on so much of the iPhone 6s Plus production line, with Foxconn increasing its workforce last month to produce the September handset. With Foxconn hiring at this late stage, it could mean that 1) Apple will have a latter release post-iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, or 2) Apple intends to provide a new product to the market early next Spring 2016. I’d bet my money on the former.
Apple could very well make the announcement about an upcoming iPhone 6c at the official iPhone 6s and 6s Plus announcement in two weeks, but wait until November to make the smaller-sized handset available for purchase. The company announced the Apple Watch at its iPad announcement last October, but waited until earlier this year (March-April) to make it available for customers.
While there’s very little concrete news about the iPhone 6c, it has been rumored that Apple will bring its new Force Touch technology, present on the Apple Watch and the new MacBook, to the new device, along with a metal body instead of the polycarbonate plastic shell we saw on its predecessor. We’re not sure about pricing either, but pricing may very well even out on the new iPhone 6c, since Apple is giving a metal body (which would increase the price) but lowering the display size from 4.7 inches (current iPhone 6) to 4.0 inches (iPhone 6c).
Apple has likely received feedback from customers about the large phablet-like iPhone 6, which is considered gargantuan for customers who find the 4-inch size to be their “sweet spot.” At the same time, however, it could be the case that Apple wants to appease all its customers, and some don’t like larger displays. Customers are complex, and in this day and time where Samsung and Apple are in deep-throated competition, the last thing you want is to leave a hole in your lineup – no matter how small the display size.
