Apple is planning to release two new versions of its iPhones with larger screens this year to meet competition from rival handset makers, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.<\/p>\n
The report, which follows rumors circulating for several weeks on technology blogs, indicates Apple will come out with the two devices in the second half of 2014.<\/p>\n
It said one will have a screen larger than 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters) diagonally, compared with the four-inch display on current iPhones.<\/p>\n
A second model will have a display bigger than five inches, according to the report, which said both would have metal casings.<\/p>\n
But Apple will not be using curved displays used by some rivals including Samsung and LG of South Korea.<\/p>\n
The news comes amid broad success of large-screen smartphones, sometimes called “phablets” because they combine the features of a phone and tablet computer.<\/p>\n
Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, with a 5.7-inch display, is one example of a successful phablet.<\/p>\n
Juniper Research forecast this week that shipments of phablets will breach 120 million units by the year 2018. An estimated 20 million phablets were shipped last year, according to Juniper.<\/p>\n
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