Next iPhone reportedly sports a larger screen and sapphire crystal display

Apple is preparing to release not one, but two new versions of the iPhone in September, according to the South China Morning Post. Each version will ship with a larger display than the iPhone 5s, coming in at a whopping 4.7″ and 5.5″, respectively. The displays are said to have a pixel density of 441ppi, much higher than the current 326ppi found in the iPhone 5 and later.

The report also states that both displays will be made from sapphire crystal, which fits with recent reports that Apple is planning to have its latest sapphire plant in Mesa, AZ operational in February for a “critical” product component. The displays will also be flat, not curved, the Post says.

Finally, the report indicates that the iPhone 5c will be removed from the lineup when the iPhone 6 is released, while the 5s will stick around but be made from cheaper materials.

- 9to5mac.com

AAPL stock more than 3 percent up on China Mobile news

After the fall in Apple’s stock value when the China Mobile failed to materialise as expected on 18th December, yesterday’s news that the deal had finally been concluded sent the stock shooting back up again, having climbed more than 3 percent at the time of writing (it was up 4% in pre-market trading but has settled).

With the WSJ having reported that 18th December was the day, the market was clearly jittery when nothing materialized. Everything had appeared to be in place: regulatory approval, Apple putting the handsets on sale in China on the opening weekend, China Mobile posters, a pre-order website, in-store displays – and 4G service up-and-running on schedule … 

One theory suggested that China Mobile wanted to renegotiate its volume breaks with Apple after seeing far greater demand for the iPhone 5s than for the cheaper 5c, while Fortune suggested this morning that perhaps Apple wanted to delay the deal until supplies had caught up with demand elsewhere, and that China Mobile had been applying none-too-subtle pressure on Apple by announcing the date as if it were a done deal.

Either way, there will be a lot of relieved faces that the deal has finally been signed, and Apple can look forward to a bumper quarter once the handsets go on sale in January.

Written by: Ben Lovejoy @benlovejoy December 23, 2013/7:32 am - 9to5mac.com

iPhone market share in China more than doubled following 5s and 5c launch

Data from smartphone market intelligence specialist Counterpoint shows that iPhone market share in China more than doubled between September and October even before launching on the country’s biggest carrier, China Mobile.

Apple’s market share rose from just under 5 percent to 12 percent, taking it from 6th place to 3rd place, behind Samsung and Lenovo … 

Apple had previously seen its share fall from 9 percent in early 2012 as the market was flooded with relatively high-spec Android phones at low prices.

With wildly-varying estimates of the likely effect of the China Mobile deal, there will be huge interest in the numbers following the iPhone’s official launch on the carrier on the 18th.

Pre-orders start today, and Fortune noted that the reservation page was notching up website visitors at the rate of one every two seconds.

Written by: Ben Lovejoy @benlovejoy December 12, 2013/5:11 am - 9to5mac.com

iPhone 5s undisputed king at all four major U.S. carriers ever since launch

The iPhone 5s has retained its status as the best-selling smartphone at the four tier-1 U.S. carriers for the third month running, with the iPhone 5c taking third place after the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Data from Canaccord Genuity showed that the iPhone 5s has topped the sales charts at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile every month since launch, reports AllThingsD.

“Our surveys indicated continued strong sales of the iPhone 5s, as it was by far the top selling smartphone at all four tier-1 U.S. carriers and at most channels where the smartphone launched globally,” analyst T. Michael Walkley explained in a note to clients. “Our surveys also indicated steady iPhone 5c sales with the smartphone’s color options and more affordable price point proving popular with its intended audience” … 

Prior to the launch of the new iPhones, Apple held the top slot at only one of the four carriers, AT&T, with the iPhone 5 sitting in second place behind the Samsung S4 at the others.

On the basis of these numbers, Canaccord Genuity has increased its forecast shipment numbers for Q1 2014 from 52M to 54M. Supplies of the iPhone 5s have been a limiting factor until recently, but a store survey just a few days ago showed that supplies now appear to have caught up with demand.

The news comes just a day after the iPhone market share in China was reported to have doubled since the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c.

Written by: Ben Lovejoy @benlovejoy December 13, 2013/4:22 am - 9to5mac.com