Apple Partners Don't Anticipate Large-Screen iPhone 6 Delay
Apple partners said they put no stock in a report that the company will hold off on delaying a large-screen iPhone 6 to compete with the Samsung Galaxy line.
The Taiwanese news site "Commercial Times" reported that Apple may hold off on releasing an iPhone 6 with a 5.5-inch screen, which would rival the Samsung Galaxy line because developers can’t come up with a battery to fit in the phone’s 2-mm casing.
"My opinion is we'll see larger-screen iPhones come this fall,’ said Raul De Arriz, national government sales manager for Small Dog Electronics, Waitsfield, Vt., one of the top Apple specialists in the country. "That's the next step for the Apple iPhone, and that's what will happen."
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De Arriz said he believes if Apple has an issue with battery size the company will simply make the casing thicker for the iPhone 6 with the 5.5 inch screen.
"The third iPad had a thicker casing than the previous iPads for the same reason, so I expect that if there is a problem shrinking the battery, there will be a thicker casing," he said. ’I expect that batteries will not cause a holdup. I don’t give credence to a lot of rumors going back and forth."
De Arriz also said he is confident that the new Apple iPhone 6 will be a much better product than the Samsung Galaxy, which is based on the multitasking features of the upcoming iOS 8. ’Apple will do well against Samsung," he said. "The true strength of iPhone is not just based on the build. It is also based on the software. The software features on iPhone are improving. Apple's mantra is to do it right, and that will continue with iOS8.’
Michael Oh, CEO of Tech Superpowers, a Boston-based Apple solution provider with an office in London, said he does not expect a battery issue to delay the iPhone 6.
"Apple's product release schedules are very specific," said Oh. "If they need something delivered by a certain day, they push as hard as they possibly can to find solutions to these problems, with few exceptions."
No matter what happens with the battery issue, Oh believes that Apple will release an iPhone 6 that wins over customers. "They are going to address what is a market need," Oh said. "How many people have chosen not to buy an iPhone because of the screen size alone? That is a very difficult question to answer. [My customers] have never really come to me and said, 'If only Apple made a 5.5-inch version of the iPhone.’"
PUBLISHED APRIL 22, 2014