Apple reportedly asks suppliers to make record 85M-90M new iPhones by end of 2015

Apple is apparently expecting huge sales of the next iPhone — probably called the iPhone 6s — if reports today are true.

Dow Jones is reporting that Apple has asked its suppliers to make the parts for a record 85 million to 90 million new iPhones by December 31. The new iPhone 6s will probably be announced in September, and become available shortly after.

https://twitter.com/cnbcnow/status/618795601921114114

In the two previous quarters Apple has sold 74.5 million iPhones, then 61 million iPhones, respectively. Analysts are expecting sales of around 50 million in the most recent quarter. The company has also greatly expanded the market for the phones in China.

The Dow Jones report also notes that one new shell color will be added to the iPhone product line. This jibes with recent rumors that a pink iPhone is in the works.

Leaks about the specs of the new iPhone 6s have been emerging for weeks, and it’s looking like the new device will be a solid upgrade to the current iPhone 6.

Reports earlier this month said that production of the iPhone 6s component parts is already well underway, and that Foxconn, which assembles the iPhone, is already taking delivery of the parts. Our sources say that parts production and assembly will ramp up sharply in August ahead of a fall launch.

The iPhone 6s is expected to ship with just one wholly new feature: Force Touch with haptic feedback. This, reports say, will make the new phone slightly thicker than the iPhone 6. It will also likely feature more memory, better back and front cameras, and a more efficient antenna. We’re likely to see some better power management and battery management technology.

The T-Mobile version of the device will support an expanded set of spectrum bands, which could improve connections significantly.

The question is whether or not this package of improvements is enough to make people upgrade from older iPhones in the orders of magnitude that Apple is apparently expecting. We’re skeptical.