The Apple rumor mill is an industry all to itself fueling speculative content mills everywhere.
Apple Insider, which we respect for its insight, obtained a note from noted KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, saying that Apple in unlikely to ship a “rumored” 5.5 inch iPhone 6. Kuo has a good track record with his predictions which is why it makes sense to listen to him.
The problem seems to be in manufacturing of the case and glass, problems that don’t seem to be impacting the “rumored” 4.7 inch iPhone 6.
This news is likely to be of greatest interest to analysts and investors who speculate in Apple stock, but it will probably not have much of an impact on the die hard Apple fan club which doesn’t seem to mind the fact that the typical Apple iPhone is the little man of the smartphone world, in size if not in reach.
Putting aside the impact on Apple’s fourth quarter shipments and sales of a delay, it is still safe to assume that Apple needs something to bridge the gap between its phones and tablets.
It may also be that we are heading towards an era where new screen technologies are going to make people not want to differentiate between a phone and a tablet. The phablet may be the form factor of the future.
Image courtesy of MacRumors
Ever more powerful phone technologies coupled with screens that may roll up and fold will probably make it unnecessary for us to have both a phone and a tablet. As much as tablets help us to get beyond the PC era, the so-called phablet may help us to get beyond the tablet and the smartphone into something that is more practical on all counts.
So, Apple can be delayed. It may hurt its stock price. It may not. Who cares. At the end of the day, the company will still need to start thinking beyond iPhones and iPads towards something that is more utilitarian bearing in mind that Apple has already nailed it on design and looks.
Still, here is our contribution to the business of guessing what Apple will launch and when. Let the chips fall where they may.
