Apple hero devices to expand, as Android big screen invasion hurts Cupertino
Look out Samsung, the gurus at Cupertino are said to be testing larger screens, meaning the next iPhone touchscreen – possibly the “i6” could grow a few inches.
Several media outlets including Reuters and Digitimes are touting rumours iPad, iPhone could have bigger displays to rival Androids like Samsung, HTC and LG.
“Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year – one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.7-inch screen,” a company source told Reuters, as it looks to get in on the ‘phablet’ trend of phone and tablet combined.
Cupertino may also release iPhone in a multitude of colours, a step away from monochrome colours of fore, according to the report.
Apple first broke away from its traditionally smaller screen with iPhone 5 featuring a 4″ screen – its largest ever – earlier this year.
But clearly its not enough.
Apple latest results show sales of iPhone grew mainly in emerging markets.
The massive success of Samsung’s 5″ Galaxy S4, S III, and phablets including the 8″ Galaxy Note, has pulled the lionshare away from the once revered iPhone, forcing Apple to desperately seek to scrape back loyalty and X factor to the brand.
The owner of Australia-based electronics etailer Becextech, notes demand fr iPhones slumped “especially when Galaxy S4 was released” earlier this year.
“Apple has to do something about this,” Santo Ludy told CN, noting the similarity of all iPhones generations to date. “Apple is making progress,” it is “slow” compared to Android’s “aggressive” development, he says.
And analysts are singing a similar tune, worried about Apple’s slow reaction to the Google Android mobile invasion, and now, too, on the tablet front.
Samsung is now the biggest phone maker globally, accounting for 32% of the global smartphone market – almost double that of Apple 17% share, IDC figures show.
Samsung smartphone shipments grew over 60% in Q1 2013, compared to Apple’s lacklustre 6%.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, earlier this week reassured worried investors there is plenty of new products to come.
“We are working on stuff were really proud of” said Cook, which are to be released October and early 2014.
The company insists it is “on track to have a busy fall”
iPad: Mini and Skinny
Apple’s next-generation 9.7-inch iPad will have a slimmer bezel design and use GF2 touchscreen technology, giving way to a thinner and lighter device, according to a report by Taiwan-based newswire DigiTimes.
The GF2 technology is already in use on the smaller iPad Mini.
But clearer screens also appear ahead for the smaller Mini.
Apple will use Retina display technology from LG Display, Samsung Display and Sharp for both its next-generation iPad and iPad Mini, Digitimes reports.
Cupertino is said to be still in the throes of deciding whether to use oxide TFT or LTPS backplane technology in the next-generation iPad mini.