Apple iPhone 6 Release Date: Price Details Surface Online, 4.7-inch Model to Debut Mid-September

The price and release date of the long rumored new generation Apple iPhone has surfaced online, inciting excitement among fans.

Media house China.com claims the upcoming iPhone 6 series 4.7-inch model will debut on 15 September and will hit the stores 10 days later.

It also revealed that the smaller model will have a price tag of ¥5288 (around $851/₹51,000) whereas the bigger 5.5-inch device (16GB model), which is touted to have the moniker iPhone 6 Air (aka iPhablet), is said to retail for ¥5,998 (around ₹965/₹58,000). However, there is no news if the big-screen variant will get unveiled along with the smaller model.

Word on the street is that the 5.5-inch iPhone is expected to get launched at the end of the year.

Due to the difficulties in mass production of in-cell touch-screens, Apple has advised supply partners to begin the production of 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model alone and has reportedly postponed the 5.5-inch model screen's manufacturing to several months. And in a bid to avoid a further delay, Apple is contemplating to shun the in-cell touch panel technology, and use standard film sensors instead in the big model, Reuters reported.

Apple iPhone 6 (4.7-inch model) launch details are in line with previous reports but there is inconsistency over the information related to the price structure of the devices.  China.com does not disclose whether it has the information from a company insider or a supplier chain.

Though rumors are running wild on the internet, Apple is yet to respond to the speculations. And if history is any guide, the company is more likely to remain silent, till it decides to officially announce the devices.

Expected specifications of iPhone 6 handsets:

South Korean market watch-dog KDB Daewoo Securities' analyst Chi-Kuo, known for a pretty decent track record on predicting Apple device's features, has listed the specifications of the upcoming iPhone 6 series smartphones.

Both iPhone 6 (4.7-inch) and iPhablet (aka iPhone Air) are expected to ship with the new generation 64-bit architecture Apple A8 processor, 1GB RAM, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, 8.0-megapixel camera with f2.2 aperture (with the possibility of featuring OIS: Optical Image Stabilizations), NFC and a slightly larger battery (50-70 percent more watts power to feed the energy-sapping iPhablet's large screen).

The prospects of a large screen featuring in the iPhone 6 series handsets has reportedly spiked the consumer interest level in Apple products, compared to previous years.

According to the study 'Change Wave' conducted by a market analyst firm 451 Research, which has focused largely on North American population, 14 percent of the interviewed consumers (total of more than 4000) have opined 'very likely' to buy Apple's yet-to-be-announced iPhone 6, whereas 26 percent were 'somewhat likely' to buy the new phone.

In March 2013, iPhone 5S had garnered only 9 percent 'very likely' responses from the people. The same firm's another survey says that 47 percent of the consumers are inclined to buy a 5.0-inch (or bigger) smartphone.

Going by this research, Apple is more likely to have windfall sales of iPhone 6 devices this holiday season, and will probably close the gap with reigning smartphone leader Samsung.

Rumored Specifications of Apple iPhone 6 and iPhablet aka iPhone Air: