Apple’s long rumored phablet could deal a major blow to Android

A bigger iPhone 6 model would help Apple gain additional profits and market share in the mobile business, ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall revealed in a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider. According to the analyst, Apple’s first phablet will drive “significant upgrades among iPhone users,” and also convert many Android users to iOS, once screen size parity between the two competing platforms is reached. 

If Apple were to launch a redesigned iPhone with a screen size around 5 inches this year, it would become the “motherlode of all upgrade cycles” for the company, helping to reaccelerate year over year growth, one analyst believes. Many current iPhone owners experience “large-screen envy” driven by competing Android devices with bigger displays, analyst Brian Marshall of ISI Group believes. In a note to investors issued this week, a copy of which was provided to AppleInsider, he said he believes a larger iPhone will drive significant upgrades among existing iPhone users, and would also convert a large number of Android users to Apple’s platform.