iPhone 6 to go into production next month: What we know so far

iPhone 6 rumours have begun to gather pace and its no more just vague speculation about its features and specs. We’ve begun seeing a lot more leaked images and renders of the alleged next-gen Apple smartphone. Adding to the earlier leaks that suggested   iPhone 6 will reach stores in August , the newer ones claim that the device will go in mass production next month and hit stores in September . Moreover, prolific apple tipster Sonny Dickson has also given a sneak peek of both models.

One of the latest reports also suggests that the camera features will be the distinguishing factor between the two models - one with 4.7-inch display and another with 5.5-inch display. The camera improvements and OIS suggested earlier could be limited to only the 5.5-inch iPhone. It this piece of news is true than expect a price tag higher than expected for the 5.5-inch model.

Here’s a quick rumour round-up.

Design Leaks  have been suggesting that Apple will be going for a more rounded body and the iPhone 6 will be even slimmer than the current-gen iPhone 5s flagship. Another leak that placed the iPhone 6 next to the Galalxy S5 hinted that the iPhone 6 could come with an iPad-like design. The picture also hints at rounded edges and the smooth brushed aluminium back of the iPhone. Apple has scratched out the capsule design of the current flash and has gone with a more traditional circular cutout.

Earlier this month,  Taiwanese celebrity Jimmy Lin  – who showed a pre-release iPhone 5 –   revealed supposed images of the iPhone 6, and now yet another picture of the iPhone 6. He was soon followed by Dickson tweeting out the image showing both models. It wa sthe first time we got a glimpse of the 5.5-inch variant. We also got a sneak peek into the  leaked rear shells  in multiple angles.

Some sketches seen earlier suggest the iPhone 6 will be bigger and taller than the current models. We have heard about the next-gen iPhone getting a bigger display, so this is not that much of a stretch. But that doesn’t mean the sketches are showing the final design of the phone. According to the sketches, the iPhone 6 will have a thickness of 7.1mm, which would make it pretty slim indeed.

Another set of leaked images, supposedly straight from Foxconn, show the slim profile of the phone with the camera lens protruding on the back. This seems highly unlikely given Apple’s penchant for a flat back.

Display Some rumours reveal that the next-gen iPhone may get a ‘curved’ display just like Samsung’s Galaxy S 3. The slightly curved display glass has been included to accommodate the rounded edges, which means the display may not be convex on the top. We have also been hearing about a bigger display for the iPhone for nearly a year now. All the recent rumours suggest it would be a 4.7-inch display, but there’s also talk of a bigger 5.5-inch display for the phone. With an increase in display size, we can also expect a bump in the resolution. After all, the ‘Retina’ tag will be hard to let go of and the resolution needs to be higher to qualify for that label. The latest rumour says the new panels will  go into production in May .

Sapphire crystal display protection Apple has already chosen to  use sapphire crystal  to protect the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s. It is highly speculated that the next-gen iPhone will have a sapphire crystal display protection to ward off scratches and nicks. Apple has applied for a patent for off-screen gestures using pressure sensitivity, where too a sapphire crystal display makes most sense. Late last year, there were reports that  GT Advanced Technologies  had inked a deal with Apple for sapphire crystal.

iOS 8 iOS 8  is expected to debut with the iPhone 6 and as seen at the WWDC , Apple is betting big on health and fitness tracking features, and will come integrated with the Healthkit platform.

The HealthKit app can pull in data from other third-party apps and this can be accessed by healthcare professionals as well of course depending on how much access users give to this app.

Apple partnered with the world-renowned Mayo Clinic to make HealthKit happen, and the Clinic was all praise for Apple’s new innovation in the health sphere.

With HealthKit, your iPhone will keep a tab on your important health metrics on a daily basis, and over a longer period. After Mayo Clinic, Nike is also partnering with Apple for HealthKit. Apple promises that the data on Health will have deep privacy protections in place to store these sensitive records safely.  iOS 8 code recently revealed barometer and pressure sensors for the iPhone 6.

At the WWDC, Apple didn’t talk about the rumoured Healthbook  app known as the one-stop solution for all things fitness related. The app is said to be visually similar to Passbook and could work in tandem with the rumoured iWatch.

The Healthbook app can reportedly monitor users’ vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, hydration levels, and also glucose levels.  The iWatch could reportedly collect data gathered by the Healthbook app from the various sensors in the iPhone. This is probably the reason why Apple has integrated the M7 motion co-processor in the A7 chipset. There is also the possibility of integrating iWatch with Apple Maps for location tracking and navigation.

8MP camera with improved OIS Supply chain speculation had earlier suggested that the iPhone 6 will not feature the previously-rumoured 13-megapixel or 16-megapixel camera. Instead, the company  will rope in an 8MP snapper , just like the iPhone 5s, but with some functional improvements including in the optical image stabilization (OIS) module. Moreover, Apple may scratched out the capsule design of the current flash and has gone with a more traditional circular cutout.

Pacific Crest Securities analysts John Vinh and Kevin Chen now reportedly  predicts   optical image stabilization may be a feature limited to just the larger 5.5-inch iPhone.

Rumors  have suggested  Apple’s next-generation iPhone may include camera improvements in the form of optical image stabilization with modules  produced by sensor company InvenSense , but according to a  new prediction  from Pacific Crest Securities analysts John Vinh and Kevin Chen, optical image stabilization may be a feature limited to just the larger 5.5-inch iPhone.

Interchangeable camera lens Apple has got patents for interchangeable mobile  camera lenses . The patent is touted to result into an official accessory from Apple, perhaps a case. The patent mentions a camera add-on that connects using a physical locking mechanism like a DSLR lens, as well as a magnetic component for quicker attachment.

iPen stylus Apple reportedly has more than 200 patents for stylus.  The iPen patent allows determining the orientation of the stylus through a sensor which is fitted in the stylus as well as the device. It’s as yet unknown whether Apple will add a stylus to the iPhone 6, but it could make an appearance in the iPad line-up.

Launch dates

While the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is rumoured to reach stores in August, a 5.5-inch or 5.6-inch model could be released in September. As the year unfolds, we will get a better idea of what Apple has in store for iFans.