While the $149 to $249 price cut between the current models and the new 4-inch handset will be a welcome reprieve for some buyers, Kuo expects the less expensive model will account for just 8% to 9% of Apple’s 2016 iPhone shipments. The iPhone could have an A9 processor (the same one in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus ), a glass front that curves slightly at the edges like on the iPhone 6S, and Apple Pay.
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This is an analyst with deep inside connections, who has correctly predicted many of Apple’s future product plans.
Since the report specifically states “two or three” color options, it seems like the options will be the usual silver, space gray, and gold (or rose gold) options, rather than the six color options for the iPod Touch.
According to the very same analyst, Apple is now expected to build some 70 to 75 million iPhone units in December before eventually dropping to 45 to 50 million in March, with the early 2016 production figures to also include the upcoming 4-inch iPhone. The new iPhone 6c will be similar to the iPhone 5c, but will have a metal casing instead of plastic.
To prove both phones are distant cousins, Apple released two new video ads for the iPhone 6s. Some hoped that it would be replaced by a 6c, though reports at the time made clear that was possible but unlikely to happen immediately.
Kuo predicts it will hit the market in the first quarter of next year, and be priced at $400-500.
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The iPhone is now easily the biggest of Apple’s businesses, and saw even more growth with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Kuo thought that the iPhone 6c could help suppliers with the slowdown. This is a reverse psychology marketing campaign with the slogan, “Not much has changed”. However, it is still unclear whether Apple created its own or the device will be compatible with wireless charging standards available in the market today.
