Rumors suggest that Apple is preparing to launch two new iPhones next year, even if it has just released its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus this year.
According to the Daily Mail, the two new phones will be called iPhone 6S and iPhone 7. It noted that the iPhone 6S will allegedly be released in spring while the iPhone 7 will be out in September.
Stabley Times was the first one to report about these new rumors. It also noted that there is a possibility that the release of the iPhone 6S will likely coincide with the release of its Apple Watch.
"Apple is hesitant about launching the iWatch in the spring of 2015 without a new iPhone to go along with it, as it could give hesitant consumers an excuse to wait on buying both until the fall. As such, Apple is looking at giving the iPhone 6S a release date in the spring with the Watch, and then launching the iPhone 7 in Sept 2015 accordingly," Jerry Miller's report at the Stabley Times said citing an unnamed source.
For many years, Apple has been known to only release one handset per year, Daily Mail noted. This however ended when it released the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C last year. This was again followed when it unveiled the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus this year.
The iPhone 6S, Daily Mail noted, may cater to those who want to upgrade to a "slightly cheaper model." The iPhone 7, on the other hand, will be Apple's flagship device for next year.
It was also revealed by Stabley Times' source that Apple is mulling to shift to a six month release timetable to compete with Samsung's more frequent release of phones. The move, it noted, is also expected to boost the company's iPhone sales.
"If Apple truly is about to launch the iPhone 6S in six months and the iPhone 7 another half year after that, there will be blowback from those who see the move as overkill - but Cupertino is well aware that those types tend to criticize it for everything it does or doesn't do anyway," Stabley Times' Jerry Miller said.
Stabley Times' source said that the plan to revise the time table shows that the company is now ready to break patterns and try something new.
The rumors came after reports about Apple's plan to discontinue the production of the iPhone 5C arose. Mac Rumors citing Taiwan's Industrial and Commercial Times said that Apple will stop its production next year. It noted that Apple suppliers Wistron and Foxconn will start winding down production of the device in the middle of the year. The low sales of the iPhone 5C was also cited as reason for its discontinuation.