Apple Might Release 3 New iPhone Models Next Year

Flickr/Karlis Dambrans

Apple has introduced two new iPhones each of the last two years: the iPhone 5S and 5C in 2013, and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014.

But the fruit company might one-up itself in 2015 with yet another model to be released alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus successors.

Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri claims Apple has been working on a new 4-inch iPhone model that might release in 2015, Apple Insider reports. 

Arcuri mentioned the new 4-inch iPhone in a note to investors this week.

Citing "sources" within Apple's supply chain, Arcuri says the new 4-inch model will be similar to last year's iPhone 5S, but might have a new design with the edges of the screen slightly curved like the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and a more powerful processor - likely the A9 chip, which will reportedly be produced by Samsung this year.

Arcuri also claims this 4-inch iPhone would occupy the "low-end" of Apple's smartphone lineup, built with "low cost components" to keep the price down. 

If these claims are true - and the rumors of the alleged 12.9-inch iPad are also true - Apple might be able to sell its iPhone and iPad lines in "small, medium, and large" by this time next year.

It would make a lot of sense for Apple to sell a new version of the 4-inch iPhone, considering the company marketed the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S as "perfect" for your hand, and there are still plenty of people that don't want bigger phones for one reason or another. Apple had a strong argument for the 4-inch screen size of the iPhone 5 and 5S: Your horizontally opposed thumb should be able to reach all four corners of the screen. This is a much more difficult feat to accomplish on the bigger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.

Arcuri's note also mentions Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad, which he says will launch in the spring to "reinvigorate" the category, saying the giant tablet will initially ship between 15 and 20 million units.