Joe Rossignol, reporting for MacRumors:
Apple’s pressure-sensing Force Touch technology could be exclusive to the so-called “iPhone 6s Plus,” according to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News (via GforGames). The report, which claims Taiwanese manufacturer TPK will be responsible for supplying Apple with the Force Touch sensors, makes no mention of the “iPhone 6s,” leading to speculation that the technology could be reserved for the larger iPhone 6s Plus.
Joe, in a separate article, also reports:
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a respectable track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming plans […] notes that a 4-inch model is unlikely to be released this year.
Some people hear rumors, automatically assume the vendor in question will do X (where X = the “wrong” choice), and then criticize the vendor. I’m not in that camp. I just think it will be very interesting to a) try and think thru what Apple might do and b) see what trade-offs Apple actually makes.
At first glance, I think Ming-Chi Kuo is right. First, are we seeing any indication that Apple needs to do this? I don’t believe so. I’ll admit, using an iPhone 6 one-handed is bit harder, but I’d wager most (most) people value the display area more.
Second, what sort of compromises would Apple have to make to squeeze the guts of the 4.7″ model into a 4″ body?. You might say “None; they’ll just make the 4″ thicker.” Not likely. And even so, it would be a significant engineering effort, since such a 4.7″-to-4″ transition is not a simple one. Apple is more likely to focus its resources on new features, rather than re-factoring an existing architecture.
Still, there are some other avenues related to this. Stay tuned.
