The Wall Street Journal just published a new report on Apple's next-generation iOS Device. They cite unnamed "sources familiar with the matter" that confirm the new iPhone comes out this year in two different display sizes: 4.7" and 5.5 inch.
The newspaper also confirms the rumored order of 70 - 80 million units that Apple has placed for their manufacturers in Asia. The new commonly called iPhone 6 is going to attract more users than the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s did, so that is the reason behind Apple's decision to significantly raise the initial orders. Last year, Apple has placed an order for 50-60 million devices.
The Wall Street Journal report explains how Apple got stuck with smaller displays even as rival companies released bigger units in 2012. They say that the demand for big phones has helped Samsung in the past two years.
This article comes out less than 24 hours before Apple's Q3 financial results. According to the above-mentioned source, Apple is expected to have sales of at least 35.9 million iPhone units for the past three months. That would be a rise of 15 percent from the similar quarter of 2013.
The WSJ believes that Apple was not able to release the new phones earlier just because they are "struggling to improve the production of the larger 5.5-inch screens, people familiar with the matter said. The production is complicated because the displays are using in-cell technology, which allows the screens to be thinner and lighter by integrating touch sensors into the liquid crystal display and making it unnecessary to have a separate touch-screen layer."
They also talk about the possibility of Apple using a Sapphire glass display that will make the devices more expensive. Apple has asked the manufacturers to prepare 120 million iPhones for 2014. The numbers are similar to the ones from 2013.
WSJ also mentions that the new iPhone will come out into a market where Samsung's smartphone business is not doing too good. It was reported that Samsung earnings would fall for a third quarter this year.
Apple will work with their traditional partners in China to manufacture the next-generation device: Pegatron Corp and Hon Hai Precision Industries Co. (also known as Foxconn). Both companies have started hiring hundreds of workers every day to meet the demand.
This new story does not bring anything new to what we've known from the rumors and information coming from Chinese officials. However, having the Wall Street Journal weigh on this gives the previous rumors a sort of a confirmation, even though Apple did not confirm the report.
