Trying to predict the feature set, specifications and design of the next iPhone is a game that many have played for years but one thing has remained a constant through it all: pricing. The new iPhone has traditionally started at $199 (excluding the original that debuted at $499 and last year's plastic 5c at $99) but some analysts now believe Apple is preparing to move in the other direction with the iPhone 6.
According to Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek, Apple has started to negotiate with wireless carriers on a $100 price increase for the next iPhone. The analyst claims carriers are reluctant to make the change but then again, they've also conceded that there will be no other game-changing device this year.
Most of the competition has already launched their flagship smartphones for 2014 and while handsets like the HTC One M8 and the Galaxy S5 are impressive in their own right, most would agree that they are evolutionary updates instead of revolutionary new devices.
Misek didn't touch on specifically which models of the iPhone the price increase is related to. Conventional wisdom would suggest the rumored 4.7-inch handset would retain the same $199 introductory pricing while the larger 5.5-inch phablet would command the extra money.
A price increase like this would make sense as we've seen it with other large phones to hit the market but we'll have to wait and see how it all plays out.