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Only premium iPhone 6 models to receive sapphire displays

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The iPhone 6 is expected to be announced on September 9th, just a few weeks from now. In a normal year, the next iPhone would be well into production by now, with Apple producing the millions upon millions of devices they’ll need to meet the demand of the masses. This year, if reports are to be believed, Apple hasn’t yet finalized things as much as they would like.

According to a report out of the Wall Street Journal, Apple may still be deciding on whether or not to include the highly anticipated sapphire display on every version of the upcoming iPhone 6. The sources, named as “people familiar with the matter”, say that if Apple does decided to put a sapphire display on the iPhone 6, it’ll only be available on premium models. 

The rumors of a sapphire display have been around for the last year, and started with a partnership between Apple and GT Advanced Technologies, which produces sapphire products. In current models of the iPhone, Apple uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Sapphire displays would allow for a near indestructible display, something that is of interest to a great number of Apple iPhone users.

The difficulty, according to the WSJ report, is that sapphire displays are hard to make and are very expensive. That is what has led to their sources saying that the iPhone 6 models that do come with this new display technology will be more expensive than those that don’t. There are also inherent problems with using sapphire displays. They aren’t as clear as glass, which makes them harder to see through in sunlight. The displays are also much more prone to shattering, which seems to go against the rationale for using them on an iPhone, which has a reputation for shattered screens. 

Other rumors point towards only the 5.5-inch iPhone coming equipped with the sapphire display. It’s highly anticipated that the larger of the two new iPhones will be priced higher than the 4.7-inch version. 

The report isn’t concrete, however. The report seems to be coming out at a time when Apple should have already made these decisions. If these decisions still need to be made, the larger story would seem to be that there will be very few iPhone 6 models ready for launch in mid-September. 

As is per usual in these cases, the reader should take everything with a grain of salt. The Wall Street Journal does have a decent enough track record when it comes to Apple rumors, but like any other publication, they’ve been wrong almost as often as they’ve been right. 

If one had to speculate, it seems entirely possible that Apple will leave the sapphire display out of the equation until they can produce enough of the product to meet their demand while keep their prices the same and their margins high. That seems like the Apple thing to do.

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New Intel Xeon processors could be heading for the next Mac Pro

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If Intel’s roadmap is any sign, Apple may soon be readying an upgrade for the Mac Pro. The professional machine, Apple’s most expensive device, was redesigned last year. When it was released in the fall, the computer saw shipping delays due to extreme demand.

The new Intel processors, nicknamed “Grantley”, are significant upgrades over the current generation Xeon E5 V2 chips that are currently used in the Mac Pro. The new chip is expected to ship en mass to computer manufacturers like Apple in September. 

While the chip comes with a higher thermal rating than the current processor, it’s unclear what affect that would have on the heating structure and capabilities of the uniquely designed Mac Pro. The Mac Pro uses a cylindrical design that forces heat produced by the machine towards the top of the tower.

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Mac Pro internals via flickr / pahudson

The processors will come in several variants, ranging from a 4-core 3.5/3.7 GHz to a 18-core processor which is much less likely to see use in an Apple product. Previously, the biggest processor Apple has included in a Mac Pro was 12-cores in the last generation Mac Pro that maintained the classic cheese grater design. The current Mac Pro can be upgraded to an 8-core 3.0 GHz Xeon Processor (v2). 

Other signs for a newly upgraded Mac Pro have been appearing as well. The graphics cards that are used in the current Mac Pro have recently been updated by AMD. The new cards, named the W7000, the W8000, and the W9000 roughly equate to Apple’s current use of the D300, D500 and D700. Apple’s designs are customized specifically for the Mac Pro; the new designs are used on the Windows platform.

The new graphics cards are said to feature 40% more stream processors, making it faster to render 4K video in real time, as well as improved clock speeds for the VRAM. There isn’t any word on the thermal rating, which could be a factor in Apple’s decision on the next gen Intel chips.

Timing

Other than the rumors listed above, there have been no rumors as to when Apple could announce this new Mac Pro upgrade. If tradition holds, the announcement will be made sometime in the fall, and probably in a press release. Apple has a habit of announcing minor spec upgrades through press releases, reserving the stage for the larger upgrades and redesigns.

With the new Intel chip expected out in September, it is entirely possible that the Mac Pro gets upgraded near or at the October Apple Event, which is highly expected to be focused on the iWatch and new iPads.

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Apple iPhone 6 enters pre-production testing

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According to a new report out of China, the highly anticipated iPhone 6 has reached the final testing stage before entering mass production. According to the report the device has entered what’s called a Product Validation Test (PVT). It is used for final quality assurance testing. If the device fails, the production line can be altered to fix the issue. If the device passes, mass production can begin. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6 at a media event on September 9th.

This report contradicts an earlier rumor that said the 4.7-inch model would be going into production in July. That rumor, frankly, makes much more sense, given the small amount of time between now and the expected launch of the device. It’s possible, however, that this new report refers to the 5.5-inch model, which has been rumored to be facing production delays due to battery and screen problems.

The iPhone 6 is expected to come in two different sizes, 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch. This will be the first time that the iPhone maker has released an iPhone bigger than 4-inches. The device is also expected to come with a fresh design, similar to the iPod Touch, as well as improved battery life and faster processors. As is usual during the pre-iPhone hype-fest, there have been hundreds of rumors leading up to the event in September.

In addition, the iPhone 6 will come with iOS 8, which is one of the most anticipated updates to the iPhone OS to date. It comes equipped with extensions (which will allow app-to-app communication), Continuity (for continuous-client between Mac and iOS), as well as many other long-sought after additions. 

Also, as usual, Apple is staying mum on the subject, declining to comment on any rumor or speculation. 

Looking Forward

The rumors themselves may or may not be true, hence the word rumor. However, looking at the rumors gives us an idea of what exactly Apple will announce when Tim Cook steps on stage September 9th. It seems fairly certain now, given the velocity of rumors that we will at least see a 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The larger screened phone, 5.5-inches, is much less certain. It seems probable that Apple has an iPhone that has that screen size, however, there haven’t been as many hardware leaks for it as there have been the 4.7” device.

Some rumors have pointed to the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 being delayed until later in 2014 or early 2015. As is almost always the case, rumors of any caliber should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

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Rumors of next gen iPad get louder

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Rumors of the much anticipated iPhone 6 have been flowing through the rumor mill for months, yet little is known about the next update to Apple’s highly successful iPad line. Rumors surfaced Tuesday that the next generation of iPads will feature a anti-reflective coating which could make it easier for users to use the device outside and under harsh lighting.

According to the source at Bloomberg, “Mass production of a full-sized iPad with a 9.7-inch screen is already under way, with an unveiling projected for the end of this quarter or early next, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public. A new version of the 7.9-inch iPad mini is also entering production and will probably be available by the end of the year, they said.”

Outside of this new rumor, little is known about the next generation iPads. There are assumptions, however, that seem likely. For example they are expected to come equipped with Touch ID sensors, which up until now have been the sole province of the iPhone 5s (and eventually the iPhone 6). 

Other expectations point to an upgrade to the next generation Apple processor, which is expected to be called the A8. Outside of the name, not much is known.

Finally, it is expected that Apple will continue to release their two new iPad models in October, around a month after their September iPhone event. Both the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina Display are expected to be upgraded.

Enough to Save the iPad

Apple doomsayers point out that the iPad sales have been declining over the last few quarters. This past quarter saw sales decline nearly 9% year over year. Some analysts say that despite these recent rumors, the new iPads need to pack a punch if they want to stop the bleeding when it comes to iPad sales.

The iPad is different from the iPhone however. The iPhone has continued to grow despite swift competition because of the way the smartphone market is structured. People upgrade their phones every couple of years. The iPad market is much more similar to the computer market, where people only upgrade every four or five years, or only when they have to. 

For Apple this means that iPad sales will bottom out similar to the trajectory of the Mac. The Mac has never been as good a seller as the iPhone, and the upgrade cycles on those products is much longer than that of a smartphone. That, perhaps, is one of the reasons why Apple’s product cycle on the Macs (like the Mac mini and the Mac Pro) are much longer than the iPhone, which gets updated every year. 

For those reasons, many Apple watchers find it unsurprising that the most recent iPad upgrades will underwhelm those looking for more iPhone-like upgrades.

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Intel releases details on possible next gen MacBook chips

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Monday, Intel detailed the next generation chips that could be headed for the next iterations of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The chipset, named Broadwell, comes out of Intel’s next generation fabricating process which outputs chips at 14-nanometer. That means that Intel can create chips that are both more powerful and more battery efficient. In this case there is also the added benefit of lower heat generation, which means computers like the MacBook Air can rely less on fans.

Benefits of Broadwell

In addition to the added power that is expected with a new Intel chip release, these new Broadwell chips will allow Apple to make slimmer laptops. According to the chipset’s design specifications, the chips have a thermal design point that is two times less than the previous generation. Bypassing the technical aspect of that, it basically means that these chips run about two times cooler than the pervious Intel chipset.

Currently the MacBook Air is one of the thinnest notebooks on the market. The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, remains much thicker. With the inclusion of these new chips, that could change.

Retina-Ready

The added power and battery benefits of these new Broadwell chips may finally allow Apple to release a retina-equipped MacBook Air. The previous Intel Chips had neither the power nor the battery savings needed in order to run a computer with a retina screen. Apple’s Retina MacBook Pros use the higher-end Intel processors, and have much bigger batteries.

There have been rumors of a 12 inch Apple MacBook that is similar to the MacBook Air in design, but contains a larger battery and a retina display.

Timing

Like most Intel chips that come off a new fabricating process, the Broadwell chip family has been constantly delayed. Part of the announcement today detailed the release schedule for the new chips. Intel says that computers containing the lower-end, battery saving processors will be out by the end of this year.

Looking at Apple’s release cycle, this announcement may have come too late to see any new Macs with these processors this year. Apple traditionally updates its MacBooks in the fall at its October event or in June at WWDC. If Apple does choose to release new hardware using Broadwell, it’s likely that any major refreshes don’t appear until sometime in 2015.

The chipset family includes several different chips. The only one that will be ready for release this year is the Core M processor. Unfortunately, that will be too small for any Apple laptop, as it only runs at 5 watts, not the 15 that runs in Apple’s MacBook Air line. The larger chips that contain the power Apple would need for the rumored 12 inch retina MacBook are slated for early 2015, making it much more likely that Apple will have to wait to release new hardware equipped with the latest Intel chipset.