Apple Reportedly Delaying Launch of 5.5-Inch 'iPhone Air' Due to Battery Issues

[MacRumors]

According to Taiwan's Industrial and Commercial Times [Google Translate, via G for Games] Apple's larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 has been delayed and will launch in 2015. The report notes that the company is struggling with finding a sufficient battery that measures 2 mm or less to fit in the device's "very thin" profile.

Renderings of iPhone 6 (4.7'') and iPhone 6 (5.7'') based on leaked schematics ​

The report also notes that Apple suppliers are referring to the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 as the "iPhone Air", which has not been finalized as an official name for the device. If the claims are true, however, an iPhone Air would join Apple's MacBook Air and recently released iPad Air in carrying a similar name and delivering a product with a slim chassis.

Past reports have indicated that Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will launch first this fall, and have shared similar details about the 5.5-inch version being delayed due to production issues. A report from Reuters last month noted that Apple was having issues with in-cell production technology in the 5.5-inch version's display, with Japan Display, LG Display, and Sharp set to produce screens for the device.

In addition to a larger screen and thinner design, Apple's next-generation iPhone is expected to include a new A8 processor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and an upgraded camera featuring optical image stabilization. Apple is also said to be negotiating with carriers to increase the price of the iPhone 6 by $100.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Delaying Launch of 5.5-Inch 'iPhone Air' Due to Battery Issues

 

[Freida]

how is that different from 4.7?

 

[Cali Fornia]

Then simply use a bigger battery, the iPhone 5S is already thin enough.

 

[amirite]

Seems weird to call the larger iPhone the iPhone air, no?

 

[SMIDG3T]

This is actually bad news that it may be released in 2015 but for me, it doesn't matter as I'll be getting the 4.7-inch model.

 

[keterboy]

Yaay more leaked and unreliable information

 

[jahoys]

sounds like there was no 5.5 inch iPhone in the first place

 

[SMIDG3T]

iPhone Air? No thanks. iPhone 6 is OK for me.

 

[ElZeus]

Then simply use a bigger battery, the iPhone 5S is already thin enough.

^^^^. Stop making the darned phones so thin and beef up the battery life. An iPhone that you could use moderately for 2-3 days with having to use a charging case would be amazing.

 

[numlock]

^^^^. Stop making the darned phones so thin and beef up the battery life. An iPhone that you could use moderately for 2-3 days with having to use a charging case would be amazing.

and you seriously find that to be more beneficial than a few mm thinner and more importantly sexier device?

jeez

 

[Chupa Chupa]

So Apple designed a phone w/o considering the reality of battery technology? This story doesn't seem credible.

 

[1Zach1]

"But Apple, you phones is taller and wider than other 4.7" phones on the market, and even some 5" phones"
Apple: Yes, but look how thin! *Cut a tomato after sawing on a brick with it* Still sharp!"

 

[KieranDotW]

They can delay the 5.5-incher all they want. I just hope we see something by June.

 

[Rogifan]

So Apple designed a phone w/o considering the reality of battery technology? This story doesn't seem credible.

Stories don't have to be credible as long as they get clicks.

 

[maflynn]

Hopefully this turns out to be a red herring. I was looking froward to comparing this with my Nokia Lumia Icon (929).

 

[Oshawapilot]

^^^^. Stop making the darned phones so thin and beef up the battery life. An iPhone that you could use moderately for 2-3 days with having to use a charging case would be amazing.

THIS! ^^^

I don't care how thin it is. Honestly, it makes it awkward to hold when it's too thin. Make it the thickness of the current 4/5 series for all I care, just put a huge honkin battery in it that will actually last an entire day (or gasp, maybe 2!) please!

 

[Frankied22]

I still think the 5.5 inch iPhone was nothing more than a prototype.

 

[mojolicious]

Then simply use a bigger battery, the iPhone 5S is already thin enough.

Quite. The depth of a mobile phone is dictated by the dimensions of a battery that's sufficient to power that phone for an acceptable length of time. Unless Apple have uncovered some magic battery technology that enables them to shave several millimetres off its depth, the iPhone is going to remain as 'fat' as ever.

If super-skinny batteries are feasible at a realistic price then I'm sure there are people who would be willing to pay a $100+ premium for a skinnier phone. What absolutely no-one will want is a skinny phone that's only been made possible by halving the battery life.

 

[Naimfan]

Yep, hopefully inaccurate, because I 'd like to be able to compare a 4.7" and a 5.5" iPhone to my current iPhone 5. While I like the 5, a bigger screen is appealing.

And thinner for the sake of it is NOT appealing.

 

[yannxou]

Right now I'd prefer a thicker iPhone with better battery.

Soon iPhones will be so thin that you won't be able to grab them from a table unless you place them in ultra thick plastic covers. Hey, but it'll be ultra thin inside!

 

[EvilQueen]

Yea, it's thin enough. Even too thin for some people. It needs more battery, less thin.

 

[Four oF NINE]

I appreciate thinness up to a point, but there comes a point when the obsession becomes an absurdity.

 

[irnchriz]

OR it didn't exist and the original guy who said they were making a 5.5 inch phone is too big of a ***** to admit he was wrong?

 

[profets]

A product that hasn't been announced nor has it had a release date announced has been delayed? Interesting...

 

[TC03]

For all those people who say the phone is already thin enough: pick up an iPod Touch and tell me you don't think the 5/5S felt like a brick afterwards.