The 4-inch iPhone 6c could be released last week of October

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An iPhone 6c concept.
An iPhone 6c concept.
Photo: iPhonesoft

A new rumor says that the 4-inch iPhone 6c will be released in the last week of October, or the first week of November.

Over at MIC Gadget, they are claiming that they have received word from a source within a cases manufacturing company, showing off a rough cardboard mock-up of the dimensions they are working with to create the case.

Sometimes rumors get a little suspect, and this is one of those cases, but we’re posting it because we’ve heard so little about the so-called iPhone 6c, the replacement to Apple’s two-year-old ‘budget’ iPhone 5c.

According to MIC Gadget, the iPhone 6c will have the same rounded shape as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, just in a smaller 4-inch form factor. But there’s not really much to go on, except a rather lousy shot of a papercraft iPhone 6c that isn’t worth posting.

The real meat here, though, is the release date. MIC Gadget’s source claims that the iPhone 6c will not be released at the same time as the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, but about two months later, around the time new iPads are expected to drop. That positions the iPhone 6c as a holiday seller, a cheaper iPhone to put in your kid’s stocking.

This actually makes sense to me. We haven’t seen many leaks about the iPhone 6c, causing many to doubt whether Apple intends to release it at all. But why would Apple want to dillute the initial surge of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus sales by releasing the iPhone 6c concurrently? In addition, this takes less pressure off Apple’s supply chain: just when iPhone 6s and 6s Plus demand starts slacking a little bit, the assembly lines can segue over to pumping out the iPhone 6c.

As usual, take with a grain of salt. The truth is that in the highly competitive world of iPhone case manufacturing, companies will jump the gun on very sketchy info, just in the chance that they can be first to market with a case for a new Apple product.

But I know my wife, who has small hands, is looking forward to the iPhone 6c as a replacement for her aging iPhone 5s when her contract is up. I’m hopeful Apple will keep going with the 4-inch form factor, at least in some capacity. What about you?

Source: MIC Gadget

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