80 million iPhone 6 units expected to roll off assembly lines this year

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Apple apparently knows you want a new iPhone, and Cupertino is apparently ramping up orders with partner factories across Asia to produce an unprecedented amount of handsets for this fall's big launch.

The Wall Street Journal today reported that Apple may be gearing up for "its largest initial production run" ever with the forthcoming iPhone 6, an increase largely attributed to the smartphone being available in dual screen sizes.

Last year's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models combined conjured up an initial order somewhere between 50 million and 60 million units, but Apple appears to be aiming much higher with this year's iPhone refresh.

According to unnamed "people familiar with the matter," Cupertino is calling for suppliers to pump out between 70 million and 80 million handsets, which are expected to be available in both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models.

Big devices, big demand

Supply chain insiders claim the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be in short supply at launch due to Apple's use of sapphire crystal displays instead of glass and more complicated in-cell technology, which integrates sensors into the screen for a thinner, lighter handset.

To compensate for a reportedly higher failure rate of such displays, sources reveal Apple has tasked component suppliers to prepare up to 120 million units by the end of 2014, offering some breathing room in the supply chain; Cupertino made a similar request for last year's iPhone 5S, due to the sensitive Touch ID component.

As any technology pundit will tell you, Apple will be joining the so-called "phablet" craze somewhat late in the game, but analysts have been beating the drum for months in advance of what is believed to be pent-up demand for larger iPhones.

Expected to launch by mid-September, the iPhone 6 will reportedly feature "metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S," with recent leaks revealing more rounded edges matching the recent iPad Air and iPad mini 2 with Retina Display.

• Big display? Our review of the Samsung Galaxy 5S proves who did it first.