by Apple is one of few companies that continue to generate hype with every new product it releases; however no product produces as much longing as the iPhone. Despite a slump in sales this year – a first after 13 years of continuously improving sales – Apple continues to be one of the most desirable brands in the world. While the iPhone 6S / Plus and iPhone SE are the latest handsets released by the company, the internet has not stopped speculating as to what we’ll see in the yet to be announced, iPhone 7.
Here’s a roundup of some of the most persistent iPhone 7 rumours so far:
- Dual-camera – recent reports say that Apple will be including a dual rear-facing camera system in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. According to Patently Apple, LG Innotek is expected to be the sole supplier of Apple’s new camera technology. Considering that Apple is not the first company to include a dual camera system in their smartphones this year (both the LG G5 and the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus have dual rear-facing cameras), it will be interesting to see how the company utilises this technology.
- New design – Apple is known for using the same design in its handsets for two years (think iPhone 5 and 5S as well as iPhone 6 / Plus and iPhone 6S / Plus), so it would be natural to assume that this year will bring a new handset design. Well, the internet seems pretty divided on this, however most predictions point towards Apple not changing the overall design of the iPhone 7. Why? Rumours suggest that Tim cook and co are planning to release a new design for the iPhone in 2017 because next year marks 10 years of the iconic handset.
- No headphone jack – The most divisive conversation regarding smartphones right now is about the 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple was widely expected to be the first major handset manufacturer to remove the 3.5mm headphone from its phones, however Motorola beat them to the punch with the recently unveiled the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, both with no headphone jack.
Should Apple follow suit, this could see a major shift in the way we listen to music, driving up sales of Bluetooth earphones as well as lightning and USB-C adaptors.
The reasoning for the removal of headphone jack is simple, both the USB-C (found on new Android handsets) and lightning ports (found on new iOS devices) provide better sound quality.
Will the iPhone 7 be a disruptive force in the smartphone market? We’ll just have to wait and see later this year.
