iPhone 6 Models To Have Staggered Release Dates: Rumor

The 5.5-inch iPhone 6, once again, appears to be arriving at a later date than its 4.7-inch companion,Digitimes reports.

Sources have informed the website that the device’s releases will be separated, one in September and the other months later, to keep the models from battling vs. each other for sales.

"The different timetables have been set as Apple does not want to repeat the mistake it made in 2013 when it launched the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C simultaneously,” the website notes.

This comment, however, has been refuted by 9to5Mac’s Ben Lovejoy, who notes the simultaneous releases of the 5S and 5C was “hardly a mistake."

"While there is evidence to suggest that the balance of sales between the two handsets differed from Apple’s expectations, the reason appears to be that more people than predicted chose to buy the more expensive model. Hardly a mistake," Lovejoy writes.

He also believes a delay to the larger model’s release wouldnt’t affect the device's sales, either.

"If someone wants the larger model, and it’s launched a little later, they’ll simply wait," he says.

Earlier this week, 9to5Mac reported Apple is “gearing up” for an event in mid-September to announce the next iPhone offerings.

The publication reports that the second and third weeks of the month are the most likely estimates for the event, but that "manufacturing uncertainties" could change the timeline.

9to5Mac's sources also claimed that Apple has yet to make a decision on whether it will announce the 5.5-inch “phablet” model at the event, as the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is "farther along in both internal testing and manufacturing preparation.”

Specs rumors for the sixth-generation iPhone include an Apple A8, mobile wallet payment integration,Touch ID and an improved camera. The same color options offered in the iPhone 5S (Silver, Gold and Space Gray) have also been tipped for the iPhone 6 in a recent leak.

Meanwhile, only those who shell out enough dough for the 64GB version may be able to get their hands on the highly-rumored sapphire glass displays, Cult of Mac reports.

With various reports suggesting Apple may not be able to produce enough of the sapphire displays to meet initial demand, it is entirely possible that only the most expensive iPhone models could include the feature. While some believe it could be limited exclusively to the 64GB version of the 5.5-inch model, Cult of Mac calculates that it's more likely the 64GB variants of both sizes (4.7 and 5.5 inches) will get the sapphire glass.