Will the iPhone 6S release date arrive in September 2015, or will Apple jump the gun and skip straight to the iPhone 7 release date while also offering the 6S as a mid range model? The broad success of the iPhone 6 has left Apple with a good kind of problem to have, but a difficult one to parse: consumers have shown that they love the new larger models. But part of their affinity for it is that it’s not a same-old S model. So now Apple must decide whether to ride the iPhone 6 for another year by launching the iPhone 6S in the fall, or push for new heights by going straight to the iPhone 7. A few key factors will help determine as much, including shifts in policies by carriers like Verizon and AT&T.
Apple must decide what all an iPhone 6S can offer that will make it stand out and be seen as more desirable than the existing iPhone 6 despite looking exactly like it. For those who care about specs, the key differentiator would be the A9 chip, which would represent a major speed boost over the current A8 architecture. If the A9 isn’t ready yet and Apple is stuck offering the A8 in a 6S, that won’t impress power users. Another factor is whether Apple can boost the high end capacity to 256GB, up from the current 128GB, and how many storage-hungry users would be compelled to upgrade accordingly. Then there are more cosmetic options such as offering the iPhone 6S in new colors, which was last tried with the iPhone 5S with mixed results.
With traditional two year cellphone upgrade windows from carriers like AT&T and Verizon now being phased out in favor of twelve month trade in programs, the original reason for Apple’s S-model strategy in off years is fading. If Apple doesn’t feel it can deliver an iPhone 6S robust enough to motivate iPhone 6 users to trade in their devices, then it very well may skip straight to the iPhone 7 release date in September 2015 alongside an iPhone 7 Plus. The 5S and 5C would then be retired, with the iPhone 6 becoming free with contract and the iPhone 6S being introduced as the $99 model in the middle. The move would fully eliminate the 5x form factor from the lineup.
Phil Moore
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