The iPhone 6 may be significantly thinner than previous Apple handhelds speculation, according to information leaked Monday on the YouTube channel Unbox Therapy, which is known for releasing "insider" tech information.
First unveiling a physical mockup of an alleged iPhone 6 case last week, Unbox's host Lewis Hilsenteger on Monday showed a side-by-side thickness comparison with other Apple smart devices. At a petite 8.6mm thickness, the faux case comes with a wider 4.7 inch screen - making the iPhone 6 appear thinner and wider than its iPhone predecessors. The video also reveals a device similar in thickness and rounded edges as the Ipod Touch. In comparing the previous iPhone 5S design, the faux device shows speaker grilles and camera that are more or less in the same position. Due to having a larger screen, the power button is no longer at the top, and has now been moved to the side to preserve effective one-handed operation.
The alleged source of this leak is Sonny Dickson, who established his rumor mill "credentials" with similar releases of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5C before their launch dates. Even though Apple has been decreasingly less tight-lipped under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, it has yet to release a definitive photo of the high-anticipated device. But, lack of an actual photo has done little to dampen rampant claims of "insider" knowledge that ranges from the plausible to dubious at best.
Many in the fanboy community are starting to speculate that the iPhone 6 is going to have rounded edges, based on supposedly credible evidence leaked last week on the Japanese Mac blog Macotakara.jp. Recently, Dutch 3d-designer Martin Hajek released a series of computer-generated images of the iPhone 6 based on rumored information - offering a tantalizing glimpse into the possible appearance of the mystery device.
However, a healthy dose of skepticism remains amongst the critics. One argument against the rounded-edge theory is that the screen display may distort video and images, as told by Anthony Wing Kosner for Forbes magazine last Saturday.
"The important point here is that the correlation between rumors and eventual product is clearly increasing from this point on," Kosner writes. "But that doesn't mean that erroneous information will be automatically screened out."
It is widely speculated that Apple will reveal the iPhone 6 in early June at the WWDC 2014 conference in San Francisco, CA. This prediction has generally been accredited to KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo, who developed a reputation with the Mac fan-base for making accurate predictions regarding Apple products launches. In an interview with Macrumors earlier this month, Kuo predicted that two versions of iPhone 6 will be released -- in 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch screen. He also projected the 4.7-inch version to be available in stores by September, while the 5.5-inch version will ship at a later unknown date.
