Load the Game

Details about the iPhone 6 and iWatch displays emerge

• Jacob Chambers
• June 18th, 2014

There’s a lot of pressure on Apple right now, as 2014 is an important year for the company. Following a dull 2013 with little major Apple products being released (no, we can’t count the iPhone 5S or 5C as brand new products), the company is now preparing to release several flagship devices. Recent polls would suggest that the iPhone 6 is the most anticipated smartphone of 2014, at least as far as the United States is concerned. Thus, it comes as no surprise that entire global press is keeping an eye on Apple’s new devices.

So far, we know that Apple will be releasing two versions of the iPhone 6, mainly a 4.7 inch version (which is most likely to be launched in September), and a premium, 5.5 inch phablet version (which is said to come out later, probably in November). Little more was actually known about the iPhone 6’s display, apart from speculation and high hopes. However, the Taiwanese Economid Daily News publication recently released some insider information about Apple’s plans and display designs. It seems that the larger of the iPhone 6 variants will feature a Sapphire display. According to the source, Apple expects to ship 60 million of its 4.7 inch iPhone 6 units by the end of the year, and that the phone will feature screens from LGD and JDI. The standard, 4.7 inch iPhone 6 will apparently continue to use Gorilla Glass technology.

The larger version, the 5.5 inch Apple iPhone 6, will on the other hand sell a lot fewer units. This is mainly due to a low yield in Sapphire needed for both the iWatch and the larger iPhone 6. Speaking of which, where is the iWatch, and why is Apple keeping silent about it? Well, it seems that the main reason for the delay in the iWatch’s release comes from the fact that Apple has extremely high expectations from the screen of the device, and wants it to consume virtually no power while in stand-by. The display supplied by LG has not reached or exceeded Apple’s expectations so far. Once the company does perfect its OLED-based, 1.3 to 1.6 inch iWatch screen, we can expect over 9 million of these screens to be produced by LG by the end of 2014, confirming other reports stating that Apple aims to sell 10 million iWatch units this year. The report also mentions that the iWatch might cost around $349 in the United States, making it a fairly expensive wearable device.

Based on this information, it’s clear that the iPhone 6’s launch date will indeed be set for early fall. There’s no doubt there will be demand for the iPhone 6, but if Apple wants to sell over 60 million units by the end of 2014, it needs to move quickly. There will most likely be a high demand for the Sapphire-display 5.5 inch iPhone 6 too, but based on these reports, demand may exceed supply, at least this year. Which one of the two are you more interested in, if at all?