5.5-inch iPhone 6 may be delayed until next year, report says

iPhone owners who can't wait to get their hands on the rumored 5.5-inch model may have to hang on a little while longer.

The larger size phone-tablet hybrid is reportedly having production problems that may delay its launch. According to AppleInsider, Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known KGI Securities analyst, says that while the 4.7-inch model will be available in the fall, the so-called "phablet" may be not reach the market until 2015.

This report follows previous rumors that have hinted at other problems with the 5.5-inch iPhone model, such as its battery and screen technology. Last month, Bloomberg reported that both sizes of the new iPhone would enter production at the same time.

There still may be problems with the device's screen -- specifically its touch sensitivity around the edges of the in-cell touch panels, according to the site. Kuo also reportedly predicted that a 5.5-inch sapphire touch-screen would not pass the drop test in the near term.

Last week, a video showed a 4.7-inch version of what was purported to be a sapphire screen from the next generation iPhone being stabbed, scratched and bent. Video producer Marques Brownlee noted that in the end, the worst blemish on the surface was his fingerprints.

Kuo predicts that even if Apple postpones the availability of the 5.5-inch iPhone, launching the 4.7-inch version -- with the previous generations iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C being sold alongside it -- would not hurt Apple sales.

Beginning this fall, an Apple smartwatch -- commonly dubbed the iWatch -- is also expected to hit the market.