iPhone 6
iPhone 6 in Sam Beckett's concept video Screenshot from YouTube Video

The iPhone 6 release date appears to be the centre of attention for Apple this 2014 as the tech giant reportedly decided to set aside the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and instead focus its resources on the iPhone 5S successor.

The move, Apple watchers said, would ensure that the next iPhone will come out as scheduled or even a little earlier than expected.

Pegged for a September 2014 debut, the large-screen iPad is likely pushed back at a later date, according to Taiwanese publication DigiTimes, citing the latest chatter from Apple's supply chain players.

Allegedly, the decision was arrived at as the iPhone maker observed that at the moment there is "lack of support from related platform developers and ecosystems."

In other words, Apple is unsure if the iPad Pro, which some analysts predict would also be a convertible MacBook Air, would gain the same traction seen in the iPad Air and iPad Mini.

The report, according to Apple Insider, is in conjunction with the earlier forecast issued by KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo - that the near-13-inch iPad will not be seen this year, not thanks to shortfalls in shipment targets.

Yet while it seems that the tech giant is all geared up to unleash the bigger screen iPhone 6 and even ahead of schedule, a separate DigiTimes report hinted that the sapphire-coated device could run into some production glitches.

For 2014, Apple's sapphire glass and coating supplier, GT Advanced Technologies, can only deliver 12 million sapphire covers for an iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch screen, said DigiTimes. This assessment contradicts earlier reports that GT Advanced is prepared to supply at least 100 million sapphire covers to Apple.

"The estimation is based on GT Advanced's forecast sales of US$188 to US$348 million from sapphire material," the same report said, adding that the normal production cost for a 4-inch sapphire wafer is, which the standard screen size from the iPhone 5 to iPhone 5S, is US$30.

However, the DigiTimes calculation is far from conclusive, according to Apple-centric site 9to5Mac, insisting too that industry experts have already projected that sapphire coating on the iPhone 6 will only cost Apple a little over $6 per unit.

That would mean sapphire glass and coating for the next iPhone would hardly be a production challenge for Apple and the material will make it to the final cut as planned.

From numerous reports, the iPhone 6 release date is likely to happen in the second half of 2014 or as early as June or July of the same year, showing off these killer features: a Liquidmetal casing, a 64-bit A8 processing chip, a wraparound display that spills over to the side, wireless charging capabilities and iOS 8.