Apple reportedly has big ambitions for its next-generation iPhones, having tasked its manufacturing partners with assembling between 85 million and 90 million handsets --Â complete with Force Touch --Â to carry it through launch and the holiday shopping season.
If accurate, the numbers cited by The Wall Street Journal indicate that Apple could be anticipating sales growth of more than 10 percent year-over-year. The company ordered between 70 million and 80 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units for launch in 2014.
As AppleInsider first reported in February, the so-called "iPhone 6s" models are expected to add Force Touch, a pressure-sensitive touch system first introduced with the Apple Watch. They could also gain a new color option, which many industry insiders believe to be an Apple Watch Edition-like rose gold.
Display sizes will likely stay fixed at 4.7 and 5.5 inches, and the display technology is thought to remain much the same. The new handsets are unlikely to carry a dual camera system, which was widely rumored earlier this year, but are almost sure to bring the debut of Apple's anticipated "A9" application processor and a corresponding increase in RAM.
People familiar with development of Apple's next-generation handsets have indicated to AppleInsider that they are internally codenamed "N71" for the 4.7-inch model and "N66" for the 5.5-inch version.
Apple is said to have considered adding Wistron as a third assembly partner for the new iPhones, joining existing partners Foxconn and Pegatron. The move to include Wistron --Â which has a long history with Apple --Â is likely an attempt to alleviate long waits for consumers, as demand for new iPhone models routinely outstrips supply.