The Time For An 'iPhone Plus' Could Soon Arrive

Talk about a larger iPhone has grown to a fever pitch. In fact, it seems that the lower Apple’s stock price goes, the more we hear about the likelihood that the company will release a 5-inch phone later this year or next. Consider some of the comments making news just this week. Over at Forbes, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu is quoted at saying that a larger iPhone is the only way Apple can “regain its mojo.” Wu states:

We believe AAPL is leaving money on the table by not participating in larger touchscreen form factors. But more importantly, we believe AAPL needs to reclaim high-end leadership as that is what brand is about. Sure, iOS, iTunes and the App Store are great, but it is clear that many customers want larger screens.

Ben A. Reitzes of Barclays agrees, and said so a day before Wu. As noted by Forbes, Reitzes believes that sales of “phablets” with screen sizes greater than five inches will increase from 27 million in 2012 to 230 million in 2015. He states:

One-handed use is arguably less important since phone calls are becoming less important than navigation, texting, videos, books and Web access for many. Also, the larger screen seems to be more popular outside of the U.S. and the phablet has significant momentum in China.

Comments from Wu and Reitzes are similar to those made by other analysts in recent weeks that suggest that Apple should (or would) release a less expensive and/or larger iPhone in the coming months or years. Does Apple need a so-called iPhone Plus to compete? Wall Street seems to think so. What say you? Source: Forbes Photo: Mockup of iPhone Plus by Marco.org

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