A woman holds her new Apple iPhone 5S after buying it at an Apple Store at Tokyo's Ginza shopping district
A woman holds her new Apple iPhone 5S after buying it at an Apple Store at Tokyo's Ginza shopping district September 20, 2013. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

Apple's iPhone 6 forecasts and expectations narrowed the details to two primary things: there will be two variants (4.7 and 5.5-inch) and they will feature sapphire screens. The latter may not be true anymore as analysts look at the performance and situation of sapphire raw materials. The unchanged status or condition of its prices and demands may mean Apple opting out on the material just before iPhone 6's release. What will happen to Apple's much anticipated flagship?

When big companies like Apple turn to specific products, demand and price for those raw materials change over time. Apple ship considerable number of devices that it can change prices and stocks of companies. In the case of sapphire, Apple's reported switch to the material as the primary screen component of its devices should have driven demand and stocks by now. However, Forbes noted that research organization LEDInside found no significant changes in the demand and price of sapphire. The prices and raw materials related to the material do not show any movements.

According to LEDInside's data, sapphire ingots including patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) and other related materials saw their prices down in July. That is around 5-10% down when compared to their prices around the same time in 2013.

According to the company's report: "optical demands lagged behind sapphire manufacturers' production expansion, and order volumes have fallen short of expectations."

There has been great expectations over Apple's iPhone 6 especially with reports about the sapphire screen. The inclusion of the material will guarantee more robust and flexible display. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, there has been great demand for the upcoming iPhone 6 that Apple is expected to build and ship up around 70 to 80 million units. Even the Wall Street Journal claims that production may be challenging for Apple.

LEDInside did note that things may still change. Apple has yet to provide an official announcement.