iPhone 6: Suppliers receive initial order for 80m units

Apple has ordered between 70 and 80 million units of its forthcoming iPhone 6 from suppliers, as the firm is confident larger screen devices will prove popular with customers.

The firm is planning on launching two models - 4.7ins and 5.5ins in size - and the initial order is expected to be completed by 30 December, sources told the Wall Street Journal.

It is unclear how many units of each model have been requested, but this is the largest initial order Apple has commissioned from its suppliers for a smartphone. Last year, between 50 and 60 million iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c devices were initially produced.

Pegatron and Foxconn are set to kick off production of the 4.7in model in August, according to supply chain sources. Foxconn is expected to take sole charge of manufacturing the 5.5in phablet, beginning in September.

The devices are expected to be unveiled on 19 September, a date that was leaked by a Deutsche Telekom representatives to customers.

Specifications

As usual, the specifications of the iPhone 6 are shrouded in secrecy. The firm is said to be testing a 1706 x 960 resolution display, with 416ppi for the 4.7in model and 356ppi for the 5.5in handset.

The iPhone 6 handsets could mark the introduction of sapphire crystal displays in place of traditional glass. This is the second hardest substance known after diamond and should help iPhone screens to be the most robust to date.

However, sapphire crystal adds complexity to the manufacturing process and has been blasted as a sexy marketing gimmick by Gorilla Glass maker Corning.

It's 10 times more expensive, nearly twice the weight and takes 100 times more energy to generate a sapphire crystal than it does glass, according to Tony Tripeny, SVP at Corning.