iPhone fans rejoice. The iPhone 6 is set to launch in the later half of this year, presumably  by August in the US at least. Usually releasing new iPhones in September since the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple did have early June releases, but now have decided to switch it up to August. The 4.7″Apple iPhone 6 will be launched in unnamed markets according to reports form the Economic Daily News, with the release of the supposed 5.5″ phablet in September.

This exciting piece of news is reported to have come from people involved in the supply chain in Taiwan who had earlier confirmed to Reuters, that the iPhone 6 would be available in both sizes later this year. Economic Daily News, also reported that 80 million iPhone 6 handsets are set to be produced this year. Taiwanese iPhone contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd and smart phone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co Ltd, were both mentioned in the Economic Daily News report, but had no comments on the leaked information. There have been rumours swirling around that the reason Apple chose to launch the phone earlier is because they’ve planned this release of both the sizes all along. Multiple sources claimed, that the larger iPhone 6 was plagued with production issues related to the display and battery and is the reason why production was delayed several months. This could probably explain why the iPhone 6’s 4.7″ phone comes out in August and the larger one in September.  Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple’s reliable analyst earlier stated that the iPhone 6 would have an upgraded screen size, an upgraded processor, NFC and a new thinner design. He also added that the iPhone 6 is expected to launch late in the third quarter this year, and that an even bigger iPhone phablet will then be released sometime in the fourth quarter. If those reports were indeed true then this must be it.

Industry pundits are gaga over Apple’s choice to increase the screen size as it seems like a move that would help Apple regain lost ground. Samsung Electronics, Apple’s Korean competitor has taken Apple’s customers just based off the screen size. The phablet was probably one of the simplest yet biggest crowd-pullers Samsung has ever deployed to gain market share.

It will be interesting to see what Apple chooses to launch in August when CEO Tim Cook is up on stage  unveiling the latest phone in July. I guess we’ll have to wait for him to tell us if there actually is a 5.5′ iPhone 6. Industry experts expect sales of the 4.7″ version to dip, with people favouring the 5.5″ phone, but that gives consumers a chance to see what the hoopla around the iPhone 6 is all about.