applE preparinG 4-incH iPhone 6C comebacK lateR thiS yeaR

The iPhone 5C might be seen as a failure by many, but for Apple it is a means to stay in the “mid-range” smartphone market. Rumors are starting to float around that by the end of this year, we will have a new colorful plastic iPhone.

Apple’s latest touch trick is a new ‘Force Touch’ mechanism. Instead of taking every tap as a tap, Force Touch allows Apple to create different functions for the speed of the tap, the length of the tap and the force of the tap.

This opens up a whole new way to interact with the user interface, allowing users to press on the same thing and achieve different results from the pressure. It has already been implemented on the Apple Watch and 12-inch MacBook, showing Apple is serious about the new feature.

The next product to get the Force Touch feature might be the iPhone 6S Plus. In a new report from Economic Daily News, the Force Touch feature will be available exclusively on the more expensive iPhone, meaning the iPhone 6S and 6C will both not receive Apple’s new touch technology.

This would mean another new feature added only to the Plus. In 2014, Apple added optical image stabilisation, a larger battery and a full HD display to the iPhone 6 Plus, while not adding the same to the iPhone 6.

It is clear Apple is trying to make the iPhone Plus like the MacBook Pro of the consumer world, offering new features for an extra $100. It should be a big incentive for customers to buy into the new device, and might improve Apple’s already impressive profit margins on the iPhone.

That said, Force Touch is like a whole new system for interacting with a smartphone. If it is not available on every device, users become confused and do not look to use the new functionality. Apple’s segregation tactic might not work in the long term, especially if users find Force Touch to be too painful.

Nobody knows the exact price of Force Touch, but clearly Apple has some issues bringing it to all products. Starting at the high-end eliminates the need for millions of orders, while allowing production to ramp up in order to find cheaper ways to manufacturer the component.

That should mean by 2016 we will see Force Touch on all products, similar to the ramp time for the retina display or the Touch ID sensor.

Taking the moniker  of iPhone 6C, this will most likely be the iPhone 6S Mini reported a few months ago. It will feature a classic 4-inch display, most likely with a 1334 x 750 to fit with the iPhone 6’s display.

The design will be similar to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus but with the colorful palette instead of the premium silver, black and gold. It will most likely feature Jony Ive’s patented “unapologetic plastic” as well, to fit with the cheaper aesthetic.

Undoubtedly to rub salt in the wounds of customers looking for a similar experience to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus coming later in the year, Apple will launch the iPhone 6C with lower end specs, like last year’s A8 processor and 1GB of RAM instead of 2GB.

No doubt if Apple finally upgrades the camera to a higher megapixel density, the iPhone 6C will sit on the 8MP iSight camera that has been one of Apple’s signature features for quite some time.

The price will likely be the same as last year, unless Apple is feeling generous; that means $100 or £100 less than the iPhone 6S.