Apple begins early production of next generation iPhone

APPLE is planning on producing a record 85 million to 95 million units of its next generation iPhone models by Dec. 31, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, July 8.

Early production of the new phones has already begun, according to Bloomberg, and will feature a similar exterior design as its most recent 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus devices. Mass manufacturing is expected to begin as soon as next month, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

Last year, Apple initially ordered 70 million to 80 million of its most recent smartphones, which was a record at the time.

In its second-quarter earnings conference call in April, CEO Tim Cook said Apple sold more than 60 million iPhones in the quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of about 58 million. In the first half of its fiscal year, which ended in September, the company sold 135.6 million iPhones, marking a 43 percent increase compared to the same time period in the previous year.

Changes in the upcoming models, which are anticipated for release later this year, will be subtler than last year’s. In addition to maintaining a similar size and exterior, Apple is expected to keep a similar resolution.

The new iPhones will feature a technology called Force Touch, which will enable users to control their phones differently depending on how hard they press on the screen, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

Force Touch has been incorporated into the Apple Watch and latest MacBook model.

Apple may also offer consumers an additional color of the aluminum casing of the phone apart from silver, gold and space gray, sources familiar with the matter told the Journal.

The Samsung Galaxy S series, a rival to iPhones, is also continuing to produce devices that best Apple in key areas. For instance, the Galaxy S6 edge includes a Super AMOLDED (2,560×1,440 resolution) display that is curved and wraps around both edges. It also includes 3GB of RAM and a camera that with quality similar to that of the iPhone 6 Plus.

In the second-quarter, while Apple sold more than 60 million phones, Samsung reported shipping more than 80 million phones.

Still, the rate of Apple’s quarterly shipments had been increasing faster than Samsung in multiple quarters last year. (With reports from Bloomberg, FOX, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal)