iPhone 6: Super-slim Liquidmetal iPhone 'due in May'

[[JUGRAJ SINGH]]

THE iPhone 6 could be just 6mm thick – and the latest reports suggest that it will be with us by May at the latest.

Analysts have long predicted that the new phone will have a larger screen, but South Korean website ET News says the handset will also be significantly slimmer. Quoting sources from Chinese companies within Apple's supply chain, says the new model will be called the iPhone Air.

"To earn the moniker already bestowed upon the top-of-the-line iPad and Mac models, the new iPhone will reportedly measure only 6 millimeters thick," says Forbes, after translating the [2]South Korean report.

By comparison, the iPhone 5S is 7.6mm thick and the 5C model measures 9mm. The iPhone 3GS, sold until late 2012, measured 12mm – twice as thick as the proposed new model.

Patent applications released this week suggest that some components within the ultra-slim frame will be built from Liquidmetal, which is stronger and more durable than aluminium. The documents, published by MacRumors, suggest that Apple is planning to use the alloy in buttons and switches, which have been a weak point on past models.

Some rumours have suggested that Apple may use Liquidmetal more extensively in the iPhone 6, replacing part or all of the aluminium shell. In theory that would mean the handset could be lighter and slimmer without skimping on strength or build quality, but in practice it seems unlikely.

Although one of the inventors of Liquidmetal predicted two years ago that Liquidmetal cases would be possible by mid-2014, its use has so far been limited to small components.

Analysts disagree about the likely timing of the new iPhone. The International Business Times says that the release date is likely to be "May 2014 or even earlier as fresh data suggests that the iPhone 5S and 5C duo is not winning the battle against the Android and Windows Mobile platforms.

Other analysts have favoured an October release, which would maintain Apple's established pattern of annual upgrades.

Tech news website BGR acknowledges that an all-new model seems "improbable" in May, just seven months after the debut of the iPhone 5S, but says that reliable sources in the company's supply chain say the device is definitely on the way.

Widespread speculation suggests that the new phone, whenever it arrives, will have a five-inch screen. The four-inch screen on the current model is small compared with those of many of its rivals.

"Releasing a device with a larger display is an interesting move for Apple because it will be a rare instance where the company will be following rival Samsung, which first sparked the 'phablet' craze back in 2012 with its original Galaxy Note," BGR says, using the term given to phone-tablet hybrids.

"It would be rare to see Apple release a new version of the iPhone so close to the release of its latest iPhone 5s, but maybe the company doesn't want to wait much longer to put out a device with a larger form factor.

iPhone 6 release date

The iPhone 6 release date will be in 2014. It will follow the iPhone 5S which was released in September 2013.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek says that there will be a June 2014 release for the iPhone 6. We reckon it will be later than that, around a year after the 5S.
Interestingly, in May 2013 Stuff reported it received a photo of the till system at a Vodafone UK store (which it has since removed along with the reference to Vodafone), with '4G iPhone 6' listed.
iPhone 6 home button

According to Business Insider, of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included". It will surely include Apple's new Touch ID finger print tech though?
iPhone 6 screen

The Retina+ Sharp IGZO display would have a 1080p Full HD resolution. It's also been widely reported that Apple could introduce two handset sizes as it seeks to compete with the plethora of Android devices now on the market.
Take this one with a pinch of salt, because China Times isn't always right: it reckons the codename iPhone Math, which may be a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a 4.8-inch display.
The same report suggests that Apple will release multiple handsets throughout the year over and above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems a bit far-fetched to us.
Patents show that Apple has been thinking about magical morphing technology that can hide sensors and even cameras. Will it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.
That said, there's still a small possibility of the iPhone 6 sporting a flexible wraparound display after more patents were uncovered, but we reckon that's more likely to feature on the iPhone 7 or 8 instead.
Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also says he believes the new iPhone will have a bigger screen. Different sizes also seem rather likely to us - the word on the street after WWDC 2013 was that there would be 4.7 and 5.7-inch versions.
More rumors in September 2013 pointed to a 6-inch display, with further talk of a phablet sized 6-inch iPhone claiming it might arrive as early as May 2014.
A couple of months later word of a 4.9-inch prototype iPhone 6 hit the web, and at the start of 2014 we heard that Apple will launch a 4.7-inch and a 5.7-inch iPhone 6 - just to keeping us all guessing.
iPhone 6 casing

It's been suggested that there could even be three size variants of the new iPhone - check out these mocked up images by artist Peter Zigich.
He calls the handsets iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 XL (these look rather like the iPhone 5C variant though). However, as ZDNet rightly points out, different size variants aren't exactly easy to just magic out of thin air.
You can expect more premium metal to come your way with the iPhone 6 too, and Apple patents for liquidmetal 3D printing suggest there may be a new way to form the sultry chassis on the new iPhone.
Writing in early January 2014, MacRumours quotes a batch of liquidmetal patents reportedly filed by Apple employees.
That chassis could well be the thinnest yet - with word that Apple will slim down the svelte 7.6mm 5S body for the iPhone 6, and if leaked images of the phone's case are legit the handset may well be shockingly slender.

The iPhone 6 will finally do NFC

About time too. Well, that's what iDownloadblog reckons, quoting Jefferies analyst Peter Misek. Many Android phones now boast NFC and Apple appears to have been happy to be left behind here.
iPhone 6 storage

We've already seen a 128GB iPad, so why not a 128GB iPhone 6? Yes, it'll cost a fortune, but high-spending early adopters love this stuff.
See our video below on what Apple needs to do to slay Samsung's Galaxy S4
The iPhone 6 will run iOS 8

With iOS 7 heading out of the traps now, who's betting against the next iPhone coming with iOS 8?
We'd expect a September or October release date for iOS 8 in line with previous releases.
iPhone 6 processor

Not a huge surprise, this one: the next processor one will be a quad-core A8 or an evolved A7. The big sell here is more power with better efficiency, which should help battery life.
Anyone hoping for some juicy Samsung technology hidden under the iPhone 6 body will be disappointed though, as reports suggest Apple is looking to push its Korean rival further out of the iPhone picture with its eighth-gen handset.
Apple is apparently cutting the amount of A8 processors it is having made by Samsung, although it hasn't severed ties completely just yet.
iPhone 6 camera

Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony before, and this year we're going to see a new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up less room without compromising image quality. But that's not what everybody thinks.
The China Post, quoting a tip from the country's Nomura Security, claims that the next iPhone won't go for a 12 or 16-megapixel sensor, instead sticking to the existinh 8-megapixel unit. Expect optical image stabilisation and improved autofocus though. And maybe a better flash.
A patent confirms this, saying Apple's aim is to use "voice coil motor actuators" to move the lens around the optical axis.
An Apple patent, uncovered by Apple Insider in May 2013, shows a system where an iPhone can remotely control other illuminating devices - extra flashes. It would work in a similar manner to that seen in professional photography studios. Interesting stuff.
Say Cheese to the iPhone 6Will the iPhone 6 be handy for pro photographers? [Image credit: Apple Insider]
iPhone 6 Sapphire crystals

GT Advanced Technologies provides crystal grow equipment and materials for consumer electronics, among other industries and has announced that it's signed a multi-year supply agreement with Apple to provide sapphire materials.
Sapphire has figured prominently in recent Apple products - the iPhone 5S' Touch ID fingerprint reader features a cut sapphire crystal cover and the iPhone 5 was the first to feature a sapphire crystal lens.So what will we see in the iPhone 6? Certainly the Touch ID fingerprint reader, but also other scratch-proof materials. GT says it will own and operate the machinery to produce this stuff at a new Apple plant in Arizona.
iPhone 6 eye tracking

One thing seems certain - Apple can't ignore the massive movement towards eye-tracking tech from other vendors, especially Samsung. It seems a shoe-in that Apple will deliver some kind of motion tech within the next iPhone, probably from uMoove.
iPhone 6 wireless charging

Wireless charging still isn't mainstream. Could Apple help give it a push? CP Tech reports that Apple has filed a patent for efficient wireless charging, but then again Apple has filed patents for pretty much anything imaginable.
The tasty bit of this particular patent is that Apple's tech wouldn't just charge one device, but multiple ones. Here are more details on the iPhone 6 wireless charging patent.
Meanwhile, a further Apple patent seems to imply that future iPhones will be able to adjust volume as you move them away from your ear.
And could the iPhone 6 really have 3D? It's unlikely, but the rumours keep on coming.

 

[KARAN]

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