Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 6 may feature a more powerful processor than the 4.7-inch model

We may see the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 release with a more powerful processor than the 4.7-inch model, according to the latest analyst prediction reported by AppleInsider. Although current details are sketchy and vague, it is expected that the iPhone 6 will feature several hardware upgrades including Apple's new A8 processor. It is unclear if the analyst prediction refers to the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 processor featuring a higher clock speed, or if there will be architectural and manufacturing differences between chips for the different iPhone models.

According to what we have heard from Chinese sources, it is beleived that Apple's new A8 processor will feature a 64-bit architecture and will likely remain a dual-core chip. Current rumors are that we could see the speed of the A8 clock in at around 2.0 GHz or even higher per core. It has also been reported that Apple plans to use a different manufacturing process for the A8, which will result in a faster, lower cost chip, with much less power consumption and heat production than the iPhone 5's A7 processor.

Gold iPhone 6 shell examined in Youtube video

A new video showing off what appears to be the shell of a Gold colored iPhone 6 was recently posted by the iCrackUriDevice channel on Youtube. In the video it is claimed that the rear shell component was obtained from an Apple supply chain in China. The shell from the video looks just like the many iPhone 6 mockup devices we have been seeing over the past few months. Leaked images of a similar iPhone 6 housing have also appeared on the web before.

In the Youtube video the iPhone 6 shell is compared to the iPhone 5s. The most apparent differences are the dimensions and style of the shell, which is taller and wider, but thinner, and has a more rounded shape. The power and lock button has been moved to the side of the iPhone 6 shell which is different from the placement on the iPhone 5s. The volume controls on the iPhone 6 have also changed from the rounded style of the iPhone 5s to the elongated pill shaped buttons of Apple's iPad. Another noticeable change is the single row speaker grill on the iPhone 6 shell which differs from the double row speaker grill located to either side of the lightning connector on Apple's iPhone 5s.

For more on this comparison watch the video below.

Chinese source claims iPhone 6 to support NFC and next-gen 802.11ac Wifi

Images of a pair of iPhone 6 logic board components were recently leaked to the web by French tech blog Nowhereelse.fr. The images reportedly come from a reliable Chinese source who also claims that Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 will feature support for NFC technology and next-generation 802.11ac Wifi.

In the image you can see what appears to be a pair of printed circuit boards which are alleged to be the bare pre-production logic boards for the 4.7-inch and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6. For comparison purposes the larger iPhone 6 logic boards are shown to the left and the right of a smaller board from Apple's iPhone 5s. You can see that the iPhone 6 boards have a longer arm at the top with a number of screw holes. MacRumors claims that the screw holes from one of the iPhone 6 boards line up with the arrangement of the holes on an iPhone 6 case from a past leak.

The iPhone 6 logic boards are claimed to support Near Field Communication technology and next-generation 802.11ac Wifi. Many other smartphones released in the past several years have included support for NFC technology, but Apple has yet to incorporate this feature on the iPhone. Apple has, however, included support for the next-gen 802.11ac Wifi standard on their Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, but this feature has also yet to make its way to the iPhone.

Apple's iOS 8 operating system to be ready for release in September

Apple's latest iOS 8 mobile operating system is currently in its fourth beta version and has seen steady progress since it was first revealed at the 2014 World Wide Developer Conference in early June. Reports indicate that the fifth iOS 8 beta will release to developers on August 4th, followed by the sixth and final beta on August 15th. Current rumors are that we will likely see the final consumer ready version of the iOS 8 software release along with the iPhone 6 by mid September.

Apple's iOS 8 will bring with it some cool new features along with a host of updates to many of its popular apps. For those not up to date on what to expect, here is a short list of key iOS 8 features coming to your iPhone and iPad in September:

Notifications
Apple has updated how notifications work. With iOS 8 you will be able to recieve and respond to notifications from within any app as well as at the lock screen. Apple has also added some customization features to the iOS 8 Notification Center allowing you to add, remove, and order notification widgets according to your personal preferences.

QuickType
QuickType is a cool new keyboard feature in iOS 8 that provides predictive typing suggestions as you type. The responses QuickType offers are very personalized depending on what app you are using, and also intelligently adapts to the person you are messaging.

Continuity
New continuity features allow iOS 8 and Apple's OS X to communicate and collaborate between devices. So, if you have an iPhone running iOS 8, and have either an iPad also running iOS 8, or have a Mac running OS X Yosemite, you will be able to send and recieve text messages and even phone calls from your other devices.

Hey, Siri!
With iOS 8 you will now be able to activate Siri by voice command without having to even touch your device by using the spoken keyphrase "Hey, Siri". Siri will also be able to identify songs with Shazam and make iTunes purchases. Other Siri updates including streaming voice recognition, and support for 22 more dictation languages.

Family Sharing
A new iOS 8 feature called Family Sharing will allow you to form a family link between up to six Apple ID's that share the same credit card. You will be able to share purchased content, digital media, calenders, and reminders between family members. Family sharing also includes a feature to locate family members and their devices, as well as to approve or decline any app or media purchases made with the shared credit card.

Just what does Apple have in store for the next-generation iPad?

We have been hearing a lot of news and rumors about the iPhone 6 recently, but what about Apple's iPad? Not a lot is currently known about Apple's next-generation tablets yet, but there are still rumors circulating around the net. So here is what is currently known and what we have heard thus far.

We expect that Apple is developing a second-generation iPad Air (sixth-generation iPad) and a third-generation iPad mini, both of which will likely feature Apple's new A8 processor. We have heard rumors that Apple is planning to add their patented Touch ID fingerprint technology to the new iPad Air and mini. And we have seen images of an iPad Air mockup with some interesting design changes, and sporting a Touch ID sensor embedded into its home button surrounded by a chrome ring.

There have also been rumors that Apple may have discovered a way to slim down the new iPad mini. Chinese media reports that the third-generation mini could be up to thirty percent thinner than the previous iPad mini. It has also been reported that the next-generation iPad mini could debut as the "iPad mini Air", adopting Apple's Air moniker due to the size reduction.

The latest rumors are that Apple's next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini will be entering a mass production phase sometime in September. If this rumor is true then it seems likely that we may see an October or November release date for the new iPads.

A few related reports worth mentioning. There have been claims that Apple is working on a much larger tablet with a 12.9-inch display rumored to be called the "iPad Pro". Not much is currently known about the device, but analysts say we could see the iPad Pro release sometime in 2015.

It was also reported last month that a split-screen multitasking feature was discovered hidden in the beta version of iOS 8. It is said that the split-screen feature will allow you to run two apps side-by-side in different sized windows. It is rumored that we could see this feature available on Apple's next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini.

Chinese iPhone 6 flyer likely a fake

A number of news sites and tech blogs are reporting the leak of a promotional iPhone 6 flyer from China. The flyer, first mentioned by GSM Insider, is said to leak the Chinese iPhone 6 release date along with pricing information, and shows what appears to be an image of Apple's rumored 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models. However, it seems likely that the leaked information is nothing more than rumor, as the image of the iPhone 6 models printed on the flyer cast some serious doubt on its credibility.

A simple Google Images search shows that the images printed on the flyer originate from the MacRumors website. Despite the grainy quality of the photo, if you look very closely at the Chinese flyer you can see that the images shown are the same renders that MacRumors comissioned designer Ferry Passchier to create based on a schematics drawing from the Japanese magazine MacFan.

As humorous as it is, this incident isn't the first time that the MacRumors iPhone 6 renders have been stolen and reported as a new iPhone 6 leak. A listing for the iPhone 6 appeared on the Japanese Amazon.co.jp website earlier this month. Numerous sites were reporting the listing as a leak from Amazon, however, it was later discovered that the listing was actually posted by a third-party seller. As you can see for yourself in the image below, there is something awfully familiar about those Amazon iPhone 6 images.

Apple plans to announce iPhone 6 at September event

The word is out that Apple is preparing for what may be the biggest iPhone launch to date. And according to a recent report from 9to5Mac, we could hear the official announcement for the iPhone 6 at a keynote address Apple is planning for the middle of September. The second or third week of the month are said to be likely dates for the event, and are in agreement with several other iPhone 6 release date rumors and reports we have been hearing about recently.

It is being reported that the focus of the September event will be the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 and Apple's new iOS 8 operating system. According to a report by DigiTimes, Apple may hold off on the release of the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 for a later date in order to "avoid competition between models". While 9to5Mac notes that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 "is farther along in both internal testing and manufacturing preparation".

Apple is said to be nearing the final stages of iOS 8 development. A final beta version of the mobile operating system could be released to developers in early August. And the final version of iOS 8 should be completed by late August or early in September.

Apple prepares for biggest iPhone launch ever

The upcoming launch of Apple's new iPhone 6 could very well be the largest in the history of the company. According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple is asking its suppliers to produce between 70 and 80 million iPhone 6 units by the end of December. If true, these are record production figures which equate to around 20 to 30 million more units than last year's iPhone 5 launch.

It is expected that consumer demand for the iPhone 6 will be very high as the new smartphone is likely to feature a redesigned look, with a larger 4.7 and 5.5-inch display, and Apple's next-generation A8 processor. So it's possible Apple could see a large increase in upgrades and conversions from Android users this year.

Earlier this week it was reported that Apple manufacturing partners Foxconn and Pegatron Corp were hiring more than 100,000 workers to meet demands for the iPhone 6. Production for the iPhone 6 was said to start in July and August for both the 4.7 and the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6. It is still not clear whether or not Apple plans to release both iPhone 6 models at the same time, or if we will see the 4.7-inch model launch first followed by a later release for the 5.5.

New iPhone 6 display panel video suggests it may not be sapphire

There have been a number of recent reports and rumors about Apple's potential use of a stronger sapphire glass material for the display panel of their new iPhone 6 smartphone. Just last week we shared a video from Youtuber Marques Brownlee who put an alleged iPhone 6 display panel through a series of scratch and flexiblity tests in order to determine whether or not the panel was made of the new sapphire glass material. Results of the test seemed to indicate that the panel could actually be made of sapphire. However, a new Youtube video by Brownlee seems to suggest otherwise.

In the new video Marques Brownlee puts the iPhone 6 display panel through another scratch test, only this time he uses Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness to determine the hardness of the materials involved. A higher rating on the Mohs scale means the material cannot be scratched by any materials rated lower on the scale. For instance, the Gorilla glass display cover of the iPhone 5s has a Mohs scale hardness rating of 6.8. But in his original video Brownlee used a steel knife for his scratch test which has lower rating of 5.5. The use of Mohs scale explains why the knife was unable to leave any scratches on the display panel.

For the new scratch test Brownlee uses a variety of sandpaper, garnet which is rated a 7 on the Mohs scale, and emery which has a rating of 8. Using the garnet sandpaper against the iPhone 5s home button, which is actually made from sapphire glass and has a higher Mohs scale rating of 9, results in no scratches. However, when using the garnet against the iPhone 5s Gorilla glass a lot of scratches begin to appear. The display panel of the iPhone 6 is also scratched by the garnet though not nearly as bad as the iPhone 5s. The use of the emery sandpaper has pretty much the same results as the garnet test.

Brownlee notes that the iPhone 6 display glass made a different sound during the scratch test than the iPhone 5s panel, which could suggest that the iPhone 6 glass may be made from a different material. It's possible that the iPhone 6 panel is made from a new harder variety of Corning's Gorilla glass. Or it could be that the panel has only a thin sapphire coating.

Watch the video below to see the iPhone 6 display panel put to the test.

Apple's iPhone 6 to enter mass production in July

Taiwanese media website United Daily News is reporting that mass production of Apple's latest generation iPhone will begin this week. Manufacturing companies Foxconn and Pegatron Corp are said to be hiring more than 100,000 workers to meet demands for the new smartphone. Foxconn will also be deploying 10,000 assembly robots known as Foxbots to help with manufacturing tasks.

United Daily News reports that manufacturing for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will start during the third week of July, while production for the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 phablet will begin on the second week of August.

Earlier this month Chinese media sources claimed that the release date for the iPhone 6 will be in late September. So, according to the rumors, we could see the iPhone 6 release sometime between September 19 and September 25, 2014. It is currently not clear if the 4.7-inch and the 5.5-inch versions of the iPhone 6 will release at the same time, or if we will see the 4.7-inch smartphone release first, with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 following later.

More on the iPhone 6 battery

A new image of what could be the battery of Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 was recently shared by French blog site nowhereelse.fr. It is claimed that the battery is for the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6. The writing on the battery shows that it is a 3.82V 1,810 mAh battery which was manufactured by Desay Battery Co., Ltd. in Huizhou, China.

The image very well could be just what it has been claimed to be. Just last week Chinese media sites were reporting that the iPhone 6 will likely feature a larger battery size than the iPhone 5. Estimates of around 1,800 to 1,900 mAh were being reported for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, and an estimate of 2,500 mAh for the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 phablet was also mentioned. As for the battery manufacturer, a tear down of the iPhone 5s in 2013 revealed a very similar looking battery also produced by Desay Battery Co.

Alleged iPhone 6 crystal sapphire display panel tested in Youtube video

Videos showing off the front panel of Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 have been surfacing on the web recently. Earlier this month a video from a Chinese source showed off a black colored 4.7-inch iPhone 6 panel and compared it to a panel from the iPhone 5s. And just last week we posted about another video which appeared on Youtube with the term "sapphire" in the title. This video showed a similar looking white colored panel which was measured, compared to the iPhone 5s, and subjected to a flexibility test.

We have heard rumors that Apple could be replacing their Gorilla glass with crystal sapphire. Until now we have seen little evidence of such. However, a recent video from Youtuber Marques Brownlee seems to confirm that the iPhone 6's front panel glass could really be made from the stronger sapphire material.

In the video Brownlee shows off a black colored iPhone 6 panel with 4.7-inch glass cover which he claims is made from crystal sapphire. The panel looks to be paper thin and similar to the panels from earlier videos. The panel is then subjected to various scratch tests by Brownlee with first a knife and then a key. Afterward the panel is subjected to an extreme flexibilty test by bending. Suprisingly the iPhone 6 panel came through without a scratch or any deformation.

Watch the video below to see the iPhone 6 sapphire display panel put to the test.

Apple's iPhone 6 to feature dual-core A8 processor

We have heard the rumors before that the iPhone 6 will be receiving a processor upgrade. However, we have yet to hear much about the new processor's specs until now. A recent article from MacRumors cites Chinese website cnBeta as the source of some interesting news regarding Apple's upcoming A8 processor.

According to the Chinese source, the new A8 processor could feature frequencies of 2.0 GHz or even higher per core. Compare this to the iPhone 5's A7 processor, which clocked in at 1.3 GHz. The speed increase of the A8 could be quite significant. It was also stated that the A8 will feature 64-bit architecture, and will remain a dual-core chip like the A7, despite the current trends of quad and higher-core processors.

Sources also claim that the A8 will be manufactured using the 20nm process instead of the 28nm process that Apple's chip manufacturers used to make the A7. This process will result in a faster, but lower cost chip, with much less power consumption and heat production.

Another video of the iPhone 6 front panel surfaces on Youtube

Just last week we reported about a video from a Chinese blog comparing an alleged iPhone 6 front panel to the iPhone 5s. Apparently another video like this has recently surfaced on Youtube, only this time from a different source.

The video from last week showed off a black colored panel, reported to be from Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 6, and compared the differences to a panel from the current iPhone 5s. The panel appeared to be consistent with what we should expect from the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The display area appeared to be taller and wider with slightly thinner bezels, and the panel edges looked to be more rounded and sloped compared to the iPhone 5s.

This new video shows a white colored iPhone 6 panel that appears to be similar to the black panel from last week's video. In the video the panel is measured, compared to the iPhone 5s, and subjected to a flexibility test. It could be important to note that the word "sapphire" is included in the video title. It has been rumored that Apple may be planning to replace their Gorilla glass display covers with crystal sapphire.

Click on the video below to see the iPhone 6 panel for yourself.

An iPhone 6 comparison video surfaces on Youtube

There has been a lot of buzz going around lately as mockups of the iPhone 6 have been appearing on social media sites across the web. The leaks have confirmed the rumors that Apple plans to release a 4.7 and a 5.5-inch version of the iPhone 6. Although there has been no official confirmation, rumors are that we could see at least one of these new Apple smartphones become available as early as September of this year.

A newly released video from TechSmartt has surfaced on Youtube comparing both the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 dummies to the iPhone 5S, Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 phablet, and LG's G3 smartphone. Both the iPhone 6 mockups from the TechSmartt video sport a thin design, with more rounded edges, and look the same as the models that appear in images from earlier leaks.

From the video it seems likely that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will probably suit the tastes and needs of most users due to the compromise between size and portability. Whereas the much larger 5.5-inch iPhone will likely serve as an alternative for those in need of a larger device.

When comparing the 4-inch iPhone 5S with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 dummy the size difference is quite dramatic. Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 phablet sports a 5.7-inch display but the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 is taller due to the larger top and bottom bezels. However, you can plainly see in the video that the iPhone 6 is much thinner than the Galaxy Note.

Watch the video below or visit the TechSmartt channel on Youtube for more on this.

A larger capacity battery for Apple's iPhone 6

A recent media report claims that Apple's new iPhone 6 will feature a larger capacity battery than last year's iPhone 5. According to Chinese sources we could see the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 house a 1,800-1,900 mAh battery, while the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 phablet may come with a 2,500 mAh unit. This equates to around a fifteen percent increase in battery size when comparing the estimated size of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 battery to the 1,560 mAh battery of last year's iPhone 5s, and a sixty percent increase when considering the 2,500 mAh estimate of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 .

So what does this mean for battery life on the iPhone 6? Since both of the rumored iPhone 6 models will feature much larger display sizes than the iPhone 5, it is likely that they will require more power to run. And other possible internal upgrades, like Apple's new A8 processor, could also need a larger battery. Of course, some of these issues could be mitigated by iOS 8 performance improvements and the addition of a coprocessor. With so many factors involved it is difficult to determine just how they may impact overall battery life for the end user.

Youtube video shows iPhone 6 front panel

A new video from youtube shows what appears to be the front panel of Apple's new iPhone 6 smartphone. Several images have appeared on the web earlier showing these iPhone components in both black and white colors. The panels are reportedly for the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 which we could see release by mid September.

The video was originally posted on the Chinese blog iFanr.com and appears to compare a black colored front panel for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 to the front panel of last year's iPhone 5S. From the video you can tell that the iPhone 6 panel looks somewhat similar to that of the iPhone 5 but with a few key differences. The display area is much taller and wider with thinner bezels, and the edges are more rounded and sloped on the iPhone 6 panel. The front-facing camera hole also appears aligned to the left side of the panel as opposed to the centered hole of the iPhone 5.

Watch the video below to see the iPhone 6 panel comparison for yourself.

More iPhone 6 release date rumors

Just last week we reported on rumors of a possible September release date for Apple's new iPhone 6. Chinese media sources have estimated the release to fall on the Friday of September 19, 2014. This release date was also confirmed by German sources, and seems to correspond with Apple's earlier iPhone release dates which have consistently fallen on Fridays in September for the past few years. However, new rumors citing different release date estimates are currently circulating in Chinese media reports.

According to Chinese sources, we could see Apple offically announce the iPhone 6 on September 15, just ahead of a September 25 release date. These new reports seem to conflict with the earlier release date. However, it is possible that we could still see a September 19 release for the U.S., and a September 25 release date for Asia, which may explain the different reports.

We know that Apple plans to release at least two versions of the iPhone 6, a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch model, both of which we have seen represented as mockups in images and videos circulating the web over the past month. Chinese media also mention these versions and report that the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 may debut under the name "iPhone Air". Apple's "Air" moniker could be used to help differentiate the 5.5-inch phablet style iPhone 6 from the smaller 4.7-inch smartphone style model.

Just how accurate are the iPhone 6 mockups?

For the past month or so there have been a lot of images of the iPhone 6 mockups and dummy models popping up here and there all over the web. And we have been able to discern some of Apple's plans for the final iPhone 6 product from these images. We know that the iPhone 6 will feature some evolutionary changes with rounded edges, elongated buttons, and a much thinner design than the iPhone 5. We also know that the iPhone 6 will come with a taller display and that Apple plans to release a 4.7-inch and a larger 5.5-inch model.

But just how accurate are these images? It is very likely that we are only seeing part of the final picture here. And a recent article posted on the G4Games website only seems to confirm our suspicions on this subject.

According to sources quoted in the article, the final version of the iPhone 6 may feature a curved glass display. Sources note that the display shown in the mockup images doesn't transition seamlessly into the curved edges aluminum shell. Interestingly enough, a Bloomberg report from last year also mentioned the rumor that Apple could be developing curved screens for their new iPhone.

Another rather odd feature of the iPhone 6 dummies are the striped lines appearing on the rear of the aluminum shell. It may please many to know that these stripes are probably not a design feature and may simply indicate the location of the top and bottom rear glass panels much like we see with the iPhone 5 design.

Apple iPhone 6 release date and storage options

We could potentially see at least one of Apple's new iPhone 6 models release in just a few short months according to a recent news report from Chinese website Laoyaoba.com. It is expected that Apple plans to release a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the iPhone 6 later this year.

The Chinese report estimates the iPhone 6 release date to be on Friday, September 19, 2014. The very same release date has also been reported by the German website Apfelpage.de. Apple released the iPhone 5 on September 21, 2012, and the iPhone 5S on September 20, 2013. So, judging from past releases, the Chinese estimate seems like it could very well be on mark.

It has been rumored that the iPhone 6 will come with 32, 64, and 128 GB storage options. While another report from a Chinese website Feng.com mentions that the 128 GB storage size may be exclusive to the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model. The larger phablet device would serve to give consumers the option of a more tablet-like experience with the larger screen and increased storage options, yet smaller and more smartphone-like than the iPad mini.