The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were terrific weapons for Apple last quarter and the company is expected to sell a significant number of iPhones during the current quarter as well. But one analyst who has been accurate when reporting on Apple’s plans in the past now reveals what Apple has planned for a followup device with the iPhone 6s that will likely launch this fall.
FROM EARLIER: The first disappointing rumor we’ve heard about the iPhone 6s
In a note to investors obtained by 9to5Mac, KGI’s Ming Chi Kuo said that Apple will significantly increase the number of Touch ID fingerprint sensor shipments this year, to a monster 262 million units — that’s a 77% increase compared to 2014 numbers.
Kuo revealed that the next-gen Touch ID that’s supposed to be found on the new iPhone 6s is supposed to be even better than preceding modules, as Apple is looking to tighten Apple Pay functionality.
“We think the new iPhone, expected to launch in 3Q15, will be equipped with an upgraded Touch ID module, with which Apple (US) intends to offer a better and safer Apple Pay user experience with reduced reading errors,” Kuo said.
Furthermore, he said that the Home button isn’t going away in the near future, even though recent Apple patents suggested the company is looking at ways of embedding Touch ID sensors in the display of future devices.
“Though Apple has filed patents for the integration of Touch ID and touch panel, this isn’t likely to bear fruit near term as complex algorithms and sapphire cover lens are also required. We therefore don’t see any impact on supply chain momentum,” he said.
Apple already has various iOS devices that come equipped with a Touch ID home button, including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, and it’s likely that all iOS devices planned for 2015 will have fingerprint sensors since Apple really wants to make Apple Pay and Touch ID-based security a staple of its product lineup.
Assuming Kuo’s estimates are accurate, Apple will sell an impressive number of iPhones this year, even more than in 2014. Not to mention that the graph below suggests the company might sell well over a quarter billion iOS devices in total in 2015, an impressive number for the company.
