iPhone 6s: 5 Things to Expect in August

With an iOS 9 release inching closer and release date rumors firming up, we expect the this month to be a busy one for the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and people that plan to buy one or the other. With that in mind, we want to take a look at a few things iPhone 6s buyers should expect in August.

In June, Tim Cook and company took the stage at WWDC 2015 in San Francisco to announce a slew of new products. On stage, the company confirmed its brand new Apple Music platform which arrived with iOS 8.4 in late June. It confirmed OS X El Capitan for Macs. It revealed its iOS 9 update for iPhone and iPad. However, it failed to announce a new iPhone. Not that this came as a surprise.

Rumors leading up to the event suggested that Apple would stick to protocol and use WWDC to show off new software rather than new hardware. But as we’ve pushed away from WWDC, we’ve heard a lot about Apple’s plans for the iPhone.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus rumors have been rampant for several weeks now and we’ve several start to firm up ahead of an announcement. Nothing is confirmed but if you’ve been in the market for a brand new iPhone, now would be a good time to start waiting for Apple’s announcement.

While the iPhone 6s release is on the horizon, it looks like we still have a few more weeks to go before Tim Cook and company take the stage again. And with several weeks to go, we expect to hear a lot more about Apple’s plans for the fall.

August is already off to a fast start and we expect the excitement to build as we approach the fall. Today, we want to take a look at a few of the things we expect from Apple and its rumored iPhone 6s in August. Apple isn’t in constant communication with the public so our goal here is to set your expectations as we push towards a release.

iPhone 6s Launch Date Details

We’ve already heard a lot about the iPhone 6s release but we expect rumors and leaks to intensify as we make our way into the month of August.

With iPhone 6s production reportedly set to begin in full later this month, it’s clear that Apple’s making progress behind the scenes. And with progress being made, it should only be a matter of time before Apple’s launch date plans are unearthed.

Update: iPhone 6s launch date all but confirmed for September 9th.

We typically see Apple’s iPhone event dates outed weeks ahead of time. Last year, Recode was able to pinpoint the exact iPhone 6 launch date (September 9th) on August 5th.

We wouldn’t be surprised if the date “leaked” out next week. Next week, Samsung is scheduled to announce its Galaxy Note 5 at an Unpacked event in New York City. The goal apparently is to get the phone out ahead of Apple’s big announcements.

Apple likes take the wind out of competitors sails so we wouldn’t be surprised if the iPhone 6s launch date leaked out in and around August 13th to put a damper on Samsung’s parade.

We’d expect to see something concrete this month. Whether that’s a credible rumor about Apple’s plans or media invites to the event itself. Last year’s iPhone 6 launch event invites went out on August 28th.

No iPhone 6s Release Date

We wouldn’t expect the iPhone 6s release date to land in August, all roads lead to September at this point, but we would expect to see at least some iPhone 6s release date details emerge in August.

Last year, we saw iPhone 6 release date rumors start to heat up in August and a report out of China accurately predicted the iPhone 6 release date weeks in advance.

The iPhone 6s release date options are down to just a few days.

We’d expect to hear more about iPhone 6s production, more about potential yield and shortages, and we’d expect more carrier details. Verizon is poised to make some big changes to its data plans ahead of the iPhone 6s release date.

The iPhone 6s release window has already shrunk to September 8th-September 28th and we expect it to shrink even further this month as Apple and its various partners finalize their plans.

A Solid iPhone 6s Spec List

By the end of August, we expect to have a firm iPhone 6s spec sheet in place.

We’ve already seen a mountain of evidence pile up in the past few weeks and we’d expect iPhone 6s rumors to get more concrete and more specific as the month goes on. In August of last year, we saw rumors out features like battery size. Smaller details like that tend to firm up much closer to launch day as production picks up.

We also expect to hear more about the software that will power the iPhone 6s thanks to the iOS 9 beta. We expect Apple to roll out at least one more iOS 9 beta before its releases the final version.

Here is what we know about the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus specs so far. We expect to add to this list before the months over.

• 4.7-inch Retina Display (iPhone 6s)
• 5.5-inch Retina Display (iPhone 6s Plus)
• Force Touch displays
• A9 processor with Qualcomm chip (faster LTE, improved battery)
• 2GB RAM
• 12MP rear camera/5MP FaceTime camera
• 16/32GB / 64GB / 128GB storage
• iOS 9

iPhone 6 Price Drops

If you’re debating between the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6, you might have a hard time waiting for Apple to make its announcement.

We’ve already seen a number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus price cuts take place in the early part of August and we expect more iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus deals to emerge as the month goes on.

We don’t expect the best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus deals to emerge until after the iPhone 6s arrives on shelves but there’s no reason to pay full price for the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus at this point. You should expect to be able to find a deal for one or the other in August.

iPhone Trade-in Values to Decline

And finally, if you’re looking to get rid of your old iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 ahead of the iPhone 6s release date, you should expect the price of current iPhones to decline as we get closer and closer to the iPhone 6s’ presumed September release date.

We recently spoke to NextWorth CMO Jeff Trachsel and he made it clear that because “retailers are starting to discount the iPhone 6 to make room for iPhone 6s inventory” the “resale values for models like iPhone 5 and 5s have not yet started to decline significantly.” But they will.

The chart above shows how the resale value of older phones started to drop as the iPhone 6 release date got closer. The value of older iPhone models could drop down 10% by the time the iPhone 6s release date arrives and perhaps another 20% to 30% by the end of 2015.

We expect to see a gradual decline in August and a steeper decline start in September. Now is a great time to start thinking about what you’re going to do with your old iPhone.

iPhone 6s Release Date Details

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The iPhone 6s release date hasn't been confirmed but thanks to rumors and some new details, we've been able to narrow the iPhone 6s release date window down a bit. Nothing is confirmed but it looks like Apple's iPhone 6s release might mirror last year's iPhone 6 release.  A new rumor from well-respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo asserts that Apple will begin mass production of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in late August. We've already seen signs of iPhone 6s production but it looks like it will ramp up in late August ahead of a launch in mid-September.  All along, September has looked like the prime candidate for the iPhone 6s release date. Just about every clue that we've been able to track down points to a launch and release next month. And while nothing is confirmed, we think that the iPhone 6s release date window has narrowed to September 8th-September 28th.  Analysts believe that Apple will get the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus out before the end of the company's fiscal year. Apple's fiscal year ends on September 28th.  If you want one of Apple's new iPhones, you'll probably only have to endure a few more weeks of iPhone 6s rumors.

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