AppleInsider Staff
The next iteration of Apple's lower-cost iPhone "C" series might do away with the colorful polycarbonate shell it's currently known for in favor of a more robust metal case similar to the iPhone 6, according to a recent analyst report.
The so-called "iPhone 6c" would retain the 4-inch display while moving to an "Apple style" metal casing, Jeffries analyst Ange Wu wrote in a note to investors cited by Barron's. Foxconn is unsurprisingly pegged as the rumored device's assembler, but may also snag orders to manufacture the casing itself, the report says.
"Although iPhone6C [sic] is designed as an extended version, it still uses metal casing based on Apple style," Wu claims.
When it was introduced alongside the iPhone 5s, the 5c was marketed as "unapologetically plastic" and its industrial design was generally well-received by industry observers. It has not been updated since its unveiling, save for the addition of an 8-gigabyte model and the discontinuation of 16- and 32-gigabyte versions in 2014.
Apple is widely expected to refresh its lowest-end device this fall, though there is much debate as to what exactly that will entail.
Some believe that Apple will bring Touch ID and Apple Pay to the rest of its lineup, but others argue that they are unlikely to trickle down to the "6c" due primarily to that device's market positioning. Apple watchers are also split on the fate of the 4-inch form factor, with some suggesting that Apple may choose to end production of the smaller screens in order to tighten up the product line and reduce the burden on developers.
Notably, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo — Â generally well-connected in Apple's supply chain — Â believes that a 5c refresh may in fact wait until 2016. He expects the iPhone 5s to take the 5c's place as Apple's low-end offering until the "iPhone 7" generation.
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47 Comments
Related to Shaw Wu?
Awesome. Not everyone care to use larger screen iphones(or android phones). Phone's main purpose in life is for helping with much as possible clear call/talk. So, Apple better to include VOLTE, VO-WiFi features in 6C and off-course others like ApplePay, force touch, bla,bla features are good to have. But, supporting most possible clear VOICE is the main purpose for a phone's existence. And we know iphone 5/5S is missing such important features. Besides supporting VOLTE on their own network , all four carriers are working to support carrier-to-carrier VOLTE calls in 2015. So, why bother to upgrade to any future phone if it does not have such HD VOICE(VOLTE) feature.
Just revert back to the metal shell of the iPhone 5 that the 5c is based on. Simple. Elegant.
Thats your opinion. An opinion the majority dont agree with.
I'm okay with the new mid-tier phone being metal as long as the screen is 4 inches.
It is not just opinion. Observing at demographics, across world population and their use, you will know. Even most populated places in the world people use phone for talk than come text and photo/video, social media, streaming(long as it does not cost much data), etc. And those people don't care higher end phones. iphone 6C with good voice capability is just fine.
If Apple wants to avoid the iPhone lineup and skus getting muddied, they need to completely discontinue the 6 and 6 Plus upon the release of the 6s and 6s Plus (or whatever they call them). At the same time, they need to refresh the $99 offering. I feel that moving today's iPhone 6 to that spot would be a mistake. They need a 4" device at $99. Right now, its very neat and clean with the iPhone 5s still able to command that spot. Come this season though, the $99 spot needs a bump just like everything else. Personally, I believe it should be a refreshed 4" device. What this article describes, a brand new metal shell for a 4" iPhone with the internal specs equivalent to an iPhone 6.