iPhone 6 Coming in 2014; No More Interim Upgrades, Analyst Proposes

Analyst Amit Daryanani with RBC Capital Markets suggests Apple might begin to refresh the iPhone once every two years, as opposed to once every year, which is the currently established model for the Cupertino, California giant.

Arguing that Apple saw just 21 percent growth in iPhone shipments year-over-year in Q4 2011 (compared to 91 percent growth in Q4 2010), Daryanani is telling investors in a research note that in his company’s view, “a redesigned version of the iPhone every two years will likely result in higher unit sales.” This, “relative to the iPhone ’S’ versions as carrier contracts last roughly 2 years and consumers have historically been attracted to the new design concepts created by Apple,” he explained to investors this week. After reading these insightful lines from one of the most prominent investment banks out there, the logical assessment is that, if Daryanani has caught on to this, you can bet your grandma Apple has caught on to this as well.

Which is why Apple might indeed extend the refresh cycle of the iPhone to two years, while introducing other cool stuff (perhaps even all-new products) in between these refreshes, to keep the hype going. In short: expect the iPhone 6 in 2014, should Daryanani's forecast prove accurate. The analyst predicts that Apple’s iPhone 5, set to be unveiled later this year, would have “the latest 4G/LTE technology” and a redesigned chassis. He anticipates avilability in the "late summer/early fall time frame.”

RBC further expects a MacBook Pro refresh this June, as many reports have indicated as well. Finally, they predict Apple might just roll out a television too, arguing that such a product would make "strategic sense" for the company. The TV would feature Siri voice control and a Retina display, according to the people at RBC Capital Markets.

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