Home » A9 chip

iPhone 6S release date: HomeKit 2.0, A9 chip, 256GB model, Product RED

by Leave a Comment

The iPhone 6S release date is on deck even as Apple continues to set sales records with the iPhone 6, but it’s not too early to begin looking at the new specs and features that the 6S era will bring. With Apple keeping the same body styling intact for another generation, the company will be left to push what’s on the inside as a differentiator. And the release date may not line up with traditional calendar expectations.

Chief among the iPhone 6S advancements is the A9 chip, which will significantly speed up its processing power and allow for more advanced app development. One key area in which Apple can be expected to make software advances is with its home automation framework which allows app developers to tie apps to home appliances and devices. With the technology still in its infancy, Apple can be expected to make major strides with HomeKit 2.0 in the hopes of enticing consumers to continue to switch over from Android. And in order to sweeten the pot, this may finally be the generation in which Apple offers a Product RED model and boosts the storage capacity of the top line model to 256GB. But just when is that release date coming?

If Apple sticks true to its twelve month launch schedule, the iPhone 6S release date can be expected in September of 2015. However Apple has made adjustments to this schedule in the past, such as launching the iPhone 4S in October after having released the first several generations in the summer. So it’s possible the iPhone 6S could launch sooner or later, depending on just how soon its headlining features are ready to go.

2015 iPhone 6S release date vs Galaxy S6, displays, rumors, A9 chip

by Leave a Comment

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Apple iPhone 6S will each see their release date in 2015, with the two smartphone leaders facing off in their latest round of battle. Key factors continue to be the display size for each, the new features involved, whether there will be lawyers over intellectual property issues, and which will sell better. Rumors are now flying that Samsung may be making Apple’s A9 chip. And now there’s a surprise question as well: which of these two new phones will hit the market first?

The traditional launch schedule has seen the latest Galaxy phone arrive in the spring and then the latest iPhone launch in the fall, splitting the calendar and offering each a chance in the spotlight, causing marketshare to see saw back and forth as the companies trade punches. But the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have turned into a haymaker, sending Apple’s sales skyrocketing at a time when Samsung has already been losing marketshare on both the high end low end of the smartphone market. That makes the Galaxy S6 crucial in terms of getting sales headed in the right direction again. And it’s part of why Apple may opt to give the iPhone 6S a surprise release date in the name of going for the kill.

But even as Apple and Samsung continue to try to kill each other at retail, there’s a surprising development. Various rumors have Samsung handling manufacturing of the A9 microprocessor which will go into the iPhone 6S. In past years this kind of incestuous relationship between the two competing technology vendors was more commonplace, as Samsung just happens to own some of the most ideal factories in the industry. But once Apple decided that Galaxy phones and tablets were too close of a ripoff, it began taking that business elsewhere, just one factor driving Samsung’s profits downward.

The A9 rumors could point to a detente between the two companies, either with a resolution to their legal issues (which would have to be a multibillion dollar settlement or licensing deal) or Samsung being so desperate for revenue that it’s offering Apple a low cost deal it can’t refuse. But if the A9 really is up for production already, it points to the iPhone 6S arriving much sooner than expected.

With Apple Watch launching in April, there is some reason to expect Apple to go ahead and launch the iPhone 6S as well, if only to give the existing user base an excuse to upgrade to a Watch-compatible phone sooner. Samsung is already ostensibly on track to launch the Galaxy S6 in the April to May 2015 range, as per its customary schedule.

By holding the iPhone 6S release date in April, Apple ensures that it keeps momentum going even as Samsung takes its best shot at convincing consumers that it’s back in the lead in terms of specs and features. Instead of buyers comparing the Galaxy S6 to last year’s iPhone 6 with last year’s specs, they’ll be comparing the S6 to the 6S - which in addition to creating all kinds of naming confusion, will also ensure Apple keeps the momentum - unless the Galaxy turns out to be a massive leap forward.

iPhone 6S release date 2015: A9 chip, Verizon upgrade programs

by

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.