Apple is planning to launch two iPhones with larger screens

Apple, which faces competition from large screen phones from other manufacturers, is planning to launch two iPhones with larger screens this year, according to people familiar with matter.
People said that the American technology giant is preparing a model with screen larger than 4.5 inches, measured diagonally, and a second version with screen larger than 5 inches. The largest smartphone that Apple has released to date was the iPhone 5, whose screen has 4 inches.
It is expected that the two new models have a metal structure similar to that of the iPhone 5 c, people said.
The phones, which should hit the market in the second half, they won't come with curved screen, a feature introduced by competitors like Samsung Electronics, people said. They warned that Apple hasn't made a final decision and that the company can change your mind.
The smaller of the two models are in a more advanced stage of development and being prepared for mass production, said these people.
Apple would not comment.
The plan to launch bigger iPhones comes at a time when Apple is losing market share to competitors that offer smartphones with large screens. These models have been showing popular as more people use the devices to play, watch videos and surf the internet. Among the best-selling models are the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3, from Samsung, who have 5 screens and 5.7 inches, respectively.
Larger screens are particularly popular in China, an important market for Apple's growth. Chinese manufacturers offer smartphones with larger screens and lower prices than those of the iPhone. Apple began this month to sell iPhones in China by the country's largest mobile carrier, China Mobile.
"Apple definitely needs a big-screen smartphone, primarily to meet the demands of emerging markets," said Jessica Kwee, an analyst at Canalys, a company that tracks Smartphone sector. The Canalys estimates that close to 25% of the estimated 60 million smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter had 5-inch screens or more.
The last change that Apple made the iPhone screen size was in 2012, when she went from 3.5 to 4 inches. There are widespread expectations that Apple will enlarge the screen size of the device in future releases. The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Apple was testing larger screens for their smartphones and tablets. In November, Bloomberg News reported that Apple was developing new iPhones with 4.7 and 5-inch screens that bend down at the ends.
Apple's intention to abandon the plastic casing in their new models follows reports of suppliers that the company was reducing orders for the model 5 c in response to a smaller-than-expected demand. The 5 c, which was launched in September last year, has most of the equipment specifications of its predecessor, the iPhone 5, but comes with colored plastic housings.
Analysts have warned of the danger of too many conclusions about the initial demand by 5 c, because if you expect that users adopt first 5S model, more expensive, which was released simultaneously with the 5 c. The expectation was that the demand by 5 c would increase after the shopping season of new year's Eve.
Apple will announce its quarterly results on Monday. Analysts expect iPhone sales in the fiscal quarter ended December have grown more than 10 percent compared with the same period a year ago, driven by strong demand for iPhone 5S. (Collaborated Swear Osawa, Hong Kong)