A possible side effect of Apple's advances in its mobile operating system is that the tech giant might be considering discontinuing production of a 16-gigabyte capacity iPhone.
Citing "insiders" at Foxconn, one of Apple's suppliers, MICGadget.com reported the new line of iPhones will start at 32GB capacity with 64GB and 128GB versions also available. If true, it would be the first year without a 16GB option.
The website said it could not disclose which department within Foxconn the new report came, just that the source said they saw the packaging for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. Neither one had a "16GB capacity" sticker.
MICGadget.com noted the new handsets will hit shelves this fall, as is customary, and will come with a number of hardware upgrades, like a new A9 processing chip, a Force Touch display, 2GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel camera, among others.
Forbes noted iOS 8 required 2GB of capacity on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. If iOS 9 is going to be more capable and powerful, then it may require more capacity to store it with, meaning less capacity for apps, music, photos, etc.
It is not clear what discontinuing the 16GB-capacity iPhone will do for the handset's price, but MICGadget.com also pointed out rumors of an iPhone 6C, a la the iPhone 5C that came out alongside the 5S. The 6C will reportedly still have the 16GB option, meaning it could be a low-cost alternative to the 6S and 6S Plus.
9to5Mac called the new report "sketchy" but noted that capacity required to download the latest iOS has been a source of 16GB iPhone users' ire, meaning the timing seems right for Apple to make such a move.
