A large Screen iPhone 6, new wearable technology and 12″ tablets including an iPad model is set to drive the market this year according to analysts.
Researchers at this years CES 2014 show are tipping that a big new iPhone 6 with an LG developed 5.5″ Retina display will help drive retail sales in the second half of 2014.
Computer research firm DisplaySearch claims that Apple may even use AMOLED display technology for a rumored “iWatch.”
DisplaySearch claims that the new iPhone 6 could have a screen size between 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, with consumers flocking to upgrade their current iPhone which is seen as small when compared to the popular Samsung Note 3 and the larger range of Android devices that are now selling at retail stores.
At the bottom end of the iPhone range Apple is tipped to offer might offer a 1600×900 resolution at 386 pixels per inch, as compared to the current iPhone 5 family, which has a four-inch screen with 1136×640 screen at 326 ppi, which constitutes a “Retina display” in Apple’s terminology, meaning the pixels are sufficiently small enough that at normal operating distance, individual pixels can’t be distinguished with normal eyesight.
A 4.7-inch unit with the 1600×900 resolution would retain the current “16:9” aspect ratio, but would mark a change by being slightly wider than any previous model. The analysis also believes Apple could decide on a 5.5-inch “Full HD” resolution display, 1920×1080, that would offer a pixel density of 407ppi — using a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) technology that may already be in use on some iPhone 5s screens.
The report also addresses the rumor of a future, alleged “iPad Pro” that would supposedly have a 12.9-inch display featuring a “2K” display (2732×2048), though there has been no evidence of a market demand for the product, nor have any tablets larger than the iPad done well in the market so far. There is also a lack of credible reports of Apple actually building such units beyond possible prototype models.
DisplaySearch believes that Apple will turn to a high-density 320×320 AMOLED display for its “iWatch,” a rumored product that is alleged to come out later this year (though again, apart from some patents there is little hard evidence that Apple is making this product at present). To support its case, DisplaySearch points to existing, flexible 1.3-inch and 1.6-inch displays, which while small can have Retina-level pixel densities of up to 348ppi.
