Tech giant Apple is developing a new iPhone design that incorporates a curved screen and enhanced sensors, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.
Two models are planned for release in the second half of 2014 which would feature larger displays with curved glass, according to an unnamed person “familiar with the plans” who did not wish to be identified as the details are not yet public.
The screens are supposed to be 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, making the two new models Apple’s largest iPhones. Sensors that can detect and respond differently to heavy or light touches on the screen may be incorporated into subsequent models, the person said. Apple’s largest model would compete in size with the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 that Samsung Electronics Co. debuted in September. The South Korean maker last month released its curved-screen Galaxy Round, the latest phone in an array of sizes and price points that’s helping keep Samsung ahead of Apple in global market share.
“Screen size is one of the things where Apple has to catch up to the Android camp,” Dennis Chan, an analyst at Yuanta Financial Holding Co. said, referring to phones using Google Inc.’s operating software. “Innovation in components has been a key for Apple since the first iPhone came out.” he added.
Interest for the iPhone 5s has been much more intensive than to its cheaper version – iPhone 5c, which production has been reduced, the person noted.
Revenue growth for the current quarter, Apple’s traditional holiday sales period, may be the slowest since 2008, according the company’s financial forecast published last month. Samsung also reported last month it expects this quarter’s shipment growth rate from the prior quarter to fall to a “low single digit” percentage from the “mid-10% range” the prior period.
Apple revealed plans last week to build a manufacturing plant in Arizona. The facility would be created in partnership with mineral crystal specialist GT Advanced Technologies Inc to make sapphire materials for Apple’s electronics devices. The news came as a press release from both the state of Arizona and the company GT Advanced Technologies, which will produce sapphire material.
“Sapphire substrates are suitable for covering lenses, buttons and displays because they are transparent, yet more scratch-resistant than glass,” IHS said. “Glass can become scratched from contact with hard objects, which can degrade the performance of a camera lens or a fingerprint recognition window.”
The 47 analysts polled by CNN Money offering 12-month price forecasts for Apple Inc reported a median target of 590.00, with a high estimate of 777.00 and a low estimate of 360.00. The median estimate represents a 13.34% increase from the last price of 520.56.
The current consensus among investment analysts is to buy stock in Apple Inc.
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