Larger iPhones to enter production next month?

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Apple is preparing to bring to market its largest ever iPhones, with both 4.7in and 5.5in devices reportedly in the works.

Sources told business news site Bloomberg the 4.7in iPhone is likely to be released around September, which is when Apple usually unveils new versions of its flagship smartphone.

The 5.5in iPhone may also be launched around the same time, the sources claimed.

Both devices are tipped to enter production next month.

The move to larger devices is thought to be in response to growing consumer demand for smartphones with larger displays.

The Bloomberg article also claims the next version of the iPhone will be rounder and thinner than previous models.

Apple has declined to comment on the story.

Last September saw Apple debut two devices: the iPhone 5s and 5c. The former was pitched as a premium smartphone, while the latter was billed as Apple's attempt at a budget device.

However, the high pricing of the 5c is thought to have put many consumers off, prompting Apple to curtail product of the device in the months that followed.

According to data released by market watcher Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the 5c was at one time being outsold by the 4in 5s by a margin of two-to-one.

The high-end model featured a faster processor and Apple's renowned Touch ID fingerprint scanner, while the 5C featured similar tech specs to the iPhone 5 and came in a range of colours.

Perhaps this time around, the company is planning to release two devices of varying size at markedly different price points to help users distinguish between them.

Whatever size the devices end up being, it's almost certain that Apple's next-generation mobile operating system, iOS 8, will make its debut on them.

The vendor outlined the changes it's ushering in with the next version of iOS 8 earlier this month at its WWDC event.

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.