The Smartphone wars have never been more intense. Apple with their iPhones and Google with their Android handsets have always been in the medal round but RIM with their BB 10 and Microsoft with their WP 8 handsets have entered the ring with a flurry of punches. Not surprisingly, all eyes are now riveted towards Apple, who pioneered the Smartphone rush. Consumers are not going to allow them to bask for long in the success of the iPhone 5. Everyone is waiting for the bigger better thing.
Though the iPhone 5s are still warm and fresh, speculations regarding the successor are circulating like wildfire. So here are the best of them:
The phenomenal success of the Samsung Galaxy Note series may well have spurred developers at the Cupertino based company to model the next iteration of the iconic iPhone on those lines. Do we really need another ‘phablet’, another device that is going to be wedged between the iPhone and iPad mini? I don’t think so, but then, need has got nothing to do with the desire to purchase gizmos! So don’t be surprised if the new iPhone is bigger than its ancestors.
So if tech rumors are to be believed, the iPhone 6 will sport a 5 or even a 6 inch screen; think of a smaller iPad mini, with which you can also make calls!
To be able to continue to tickle the fancy of the discerning tech customer, Apple has to innovate in a big way, or they risk losing a big part of the market share to Android.
Name
I am pretty certain that the naming convention will remain untouched, whatever size and other specs the new handset may have. The i- prefix has become so popular that any change in that pattern may backfire. You can safely bet that it will be called the iPhone 6 or at least, the iPhone 5 S, in case a model comes out with no major alterations.
Release Date
The date of its release is anybody’s guess. Apple has always been very hush-hush about this matter. Till the final moments, nobody can really be sure whether they are even launching a new product. But if you look at AAPL’s pattern, it might very likely be announced somewhere during the middle of this year. However, if they roll out some other iDevice at that time, they may time the new iPhone to be released during the Holiday season.
Price
Apple’s products, while wildly popular, have never been too easy on the pockets; so don’t expect this one to be either. Of course, your guess is as good as mine, but it’s quite possible that it may go beyond $ 700. If an intermediate handset is released in the meantime, it may be priced slightly lower.
Features
The company has always come out with mind boggling features in their gadgets that continue to enthrall the users. And as expectations are riding high on the new iPhone, you can be certain that the gadget will include features that bedazzle. This is especially true in the present scenario where Android, BB 10 and WP 8 handsets are being rolled out every day with newer and more amazing features. Not to mention the many new operating systems that will soon be seen on Smartphones like the Firefox OS, Ubuntu, and so on.
Hopefully all the minor bugs and other issues that plagued the earlier versions of the iPhone will be fixed in the iPhone 6. At least, consumers are waiting for superior Siri, the camera resolution to be even higher, NFC capability and a wider screen. I’d like to repeat that if an iPhone 5 S is released prior to the iPhone 6, you can expect fewer changes.
So till we actually get our hands on the iPhone 6, we wait..with bated breath!
