iPod touch 6th generation, iPhone 6S release date get Apple Event snub

By Jerry Miller | March 12, 2015

So much for the iPhone 6S or iPod touch 6th generation seeing their release dates at today’s “Spring Forward” media event. Several new pieces of hardware were debuted, from the Apple Watch to the new MacBook and its USB-C and trackpad technology, but no mention was made of the overdue iPod 6 or the partially elected iPhone 6S, leading to questions about the iPhone 7. Nor was there any mention of an iPhone 6 Mini phone in the original 4.0 inch form factor. So what now for these products?

The absence of the iPod touch 6th generation makes sense in hindsight. It’s not compatible with the Apple Watch, so debuting it on the same stage would have merely been awkward and could have led to confusion. The good news is that with the iPhone inventory backlog cleared up, Apple is finally now free to put an iPod 6 into production that uses the same A8 chipset and screens without concern for cannibalizing components. The bad news: the iPod touch is now such persona non grata in Apple’s eyes that when it does see its release date, it’ll come via little more than a press release. You can disagree if you like, but as Apple sees things, it’s 2015 and it’s time for you to buy a real iPhone instead of a fake one. But what about that iPhone 6S? Or is that the iPhone 7

Apple’s longstanding policy of offering “S” models every other year is becoming outdated, thanks to the carriers scaling back their two-year upgrade cycles in favor of twelve month trade in programs. That points to an iPhone 7 arriving in the fall of this year. That led some to expect that the iPhone 6S release date would arrive at the six month mark, aligned with the Apple Watch launch, giving an additional boost to both product lines. That hasn’t happened, so now the question is whether Apple’s September press event (which we’re certain won’t be called “Fall Backwards”) will produce the iPhone 6S, the iPhone 7, or both.