Crazy Consumer Electronics World: No sapphire screen for the iPhone 6 after all?

The latest episode in our ongoing series 'iPhone 6: will it or won't it have a sapphire display?' doesn't bring good tidings, we're afraid.

Word is coming from researcher LEDinside, a subdivision of TrendForce, that Apple has not shown interest in using sapphire for its 4.7-inch iPhone. Or that it hasn't been able to make the magic happen, at least.

If Apple were to launch a 4.7-inch iPhone in September with a sapphire screen, relevant component suppliers should have started shipping the new parts by the end of June. Apparently that hasn't happened.

While it's possible that things could be pushed until the last minute, we'd have to agree that, if this is true, signs aren't good for seeing a sapphire-loaded iPhone 6 this year.

Go big and go phone

So where do we currently stand with the rumoured 5.5-inch version iPhone 6?

A separate report claims that the larger iPhone will enter production in September but won't arrive in stores until December.

However, we're going to throw a vat of doubt on this one straight away. December feels too late for an Apple launch, as for a lot of people this is in post-Christmas present buying territory.

The same report says the iWatch will enter production in November but doesn't say whether it's also expected in December.

Releasing the iWatch alongside the iPhablet (iPhone Air, whatever) makes a lot of sense, but again, we'd expect it to happen before December rolls around.

iWatch: everything you need to know about the mythical, wearable beast