Apple iPhone 6 could recieve substantial price hike

Apple's next-generation iPhone 6 smartphone could come with a substantial price hike, according to an industry analyst who predicts that the US subsidised price of the handset will be around $100 higher than its predecessor.When Apple launches a replacement for theiPhone 5S, its current flagship device, it will likely do so under the name iPhone 6 - following its trend of alternating between incrementing the version number and adding a suffix with each launch. While many of the changes expected in the iPhone 6, in particular a more powerful processor than its predecessor, will be welcomed, one analyst is suggesting Apple is planning something that will prove a little less popular: a price hike."Apple customers are relatively insensitive to price, so a higher price is not likely to dissuade potential iPhone 6 consumers who are attracted to the device’s features," Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves told the New York Post. The result: the "potential for a higher-priced iPhone 6" that would see the subsidised price of the flagship handset when purchased with a contract rise from the iPhone 5S's current $199 to $299.It's not clear yet whether Apple would move to increase the cost of purchasing a SIM-free device outright at a similar level, but if it wants to keep its network partners happy such a move would seem likely if only to keep the relative cost of buying a handset on contract to buying it new at a similar level.For those dismayed by the news, which Apple has naturally neither confirmed nor denied, there is a glimmer of hope: even if Hargreaves' prediction comes true, rumours suggest Apple is planning to dual-launch a 4.7in smartphone and its first 5.7in phablet, suggesting it's possible that only the larger of the two devices would receive the price increase.