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Apple’s iPhone 7 might be months away from launch, but rumours about the new iPhone 7 series are already doing the rounds. The iPhones typically launch in September, along with the latest iOS version. This blog will chronicle all Apple rumours that create a buzz.
Apple Tim Cook on why iPhone 7 will make everyone upgrade: Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the iPhone 7 will make everyone want to upgrade to the new device. He made the comments on CNBC’s Mad Money show, which is hosted by Jim Cramer.
“We have great innovation in the pipeline, like new iPhones that will incent you and other people that have iPhones today to upgrade to new iPhones…We are going to give you things that you can’t live without…You will look back and wonder: ‘How did I live without this?’”, said the Apple CEO. Read more here.
So there might just be a headphone jack in the iPhone 7: Apple Insider has put out a report quoting French website Nowhereelse that the headphone jack and current Lightning charger are here to stay.
Nowhere put out pictures of a new part for the iPhone 7, which was spotted on Chinese social media website Weibo. Based on the pictures, the layout looks very similar to the cable for the iPhone 6s, and yes the 3.5 headphone jack is there.
The report contradicts all rumours and leaks that have come out so far, which claimed that Apple was getting rid of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Some reports also say that the company is working on Bluetooth supported EarPods. Others hinted at new wireless Beats headphones, which could be sold separately. Read more here.
Apple iPhone 7 Pro to have a dual-camera set-up: Apple could be working on an iPhone 7 Pro with dual-camera set-up and a Smart Connector at the bottom, according to reports in Japanese media showing design schematics of this phone. The design was published in a Japanese Magazine Mac Fan, and Japanese Apple blog Macotakara has also picked up the report.
There won’t a headphone jack in the iPhone 7 Pro, instead there will be a Smart Connector where battery cases, other docks can be plugged in, according to the photos. The ‘Smart Connector’ photos also show three dots at the back of the iPhone 7 Pro. Read more here.
Samsung to supply 5.5-inch OLED panels for iPhones: Apple Insider notes that the Korean Herald has reported that Samsung will be providing OLED panels for the 5.5-inch iPhone in 2017 and that the two companies have signed a three year contract.
The 5.5-inch OLED display rumour appears to counter reports that Apple will produce an 5.8-inch iPhone with an OLED display. It was also reported earlier that both Samsung and LG were going to be make the panels for Apple.
As far as the iPhone 7 goes, it is unlikely that Apple will ditch the LCD display for OLED so soon.
Apple iPhone 7 Pro?: MacRumours has found leaked photos of what could be the new iPhone 7. The leaked photos, supposedly from a Chinese site, show a dual lens camera set up. There is a significant protrusion at the back because of this new camera. Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly has gone a step further called this a iPhone 7 Pro, placed above the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. This is indeed getting interesting.
Apple working on revamped totally wireless Beats headphone: Apple is supposedly working on a revamped, totally wireless pair of Beats headphones, which don’t even have a connecting wire between the left and right ear pieces, says a report on 9to5Mac.
The report comes even as Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 7 with no headphone jack in September of this year. The report goes on to add that the headphones will have a “noise-cancelling microphone system, enabling phone calls and communication with Siri,” as well.
According to earlier reports, Apple will get rid of the 3.5mm standard headphone jack on iPhone 7. It’s not clear if these totally wireless headphones will be sold inside the iPhone 7 box or if Apple will large separately for these.
Thinner camera module, no antenna bands: Apple’s iPhone 7 will have two significant design changes from the iPhone 6s series, says a report on MacRumors.
According to the report, the iPhone 7’s camera will be slimmer and won’t protrude slightly on the back of the device as is the case with the current iPhone 6s series. The report also says that the iPhone 7 won’t have antenna bands across the back.
Cutting-edge wireless charging for next generation iPhone and iPad: Apple is reportedly working on a new kind of wireless charging technology for its iPhone and iPad devices, reports Bloomberg.
According to the report, new devices with this tech will launch as early as 2017, although it’s unclear if this tech will be available on iPhone 7 as well.
Smarphones with wireless charging technology use inductive charging, which needs to be in contact with a charging pad for drawing sufficient power. Apple’s wireless charger might just work from some distance, and the company is in talks with its partners around the same.
Dual-camera set-up in iPhone 7 Plus: Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said in a note, that the new iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual-rear camera set-up.
Apple Insider has reported about the note and it points out that Apple was said to be working on something similar in 2014, but that never hit the markets. We’ve seen devices like Qiku’s Q Terra come with such a set-up as well.
Ming is known for his accuracy with Apple rumours, and his note says that Apple got the technology with its purchase of LinX, an Israeli firm that specialises in the field. We’ll have to wait and see if Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus does indeed come with a dual-rear camera.
3GB RAM for iPhone 7 Plus: According to a report on MacRumors, which quotes KGI Securities’ noted Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, the Cupertino-giant plans to include 3GB RAM in iPhone 7 Plus, while iPhone 7 will have 2GB RAM.
While Apple might bump up RAM in iPhone 7 Plus, Ming does not believe that the new A10 chip will offer any great, new performance upgrade.
No iPhone 6c, get ready for iPhone 5se: Apple won’t be launching a 4-inch-screen, waterproof iPhone 6c as was being rumoured. Instead the company launch a new iPhone 5se, an upgraded version of the original 5s, claims a 9to5Mac report.
The report says that the phone could launch in March or April, but it is not a preview for iPhone 7, and that it will have a headphone jack.
New code confirms death of headphones: According to a 9to5Mac report, code in iOS 9.3 appears to confirm that Apple will get rid of the headphone jack in iPhone 7.
The report says, that jailbreaker @kyoufujibaya discovered reference to a code in iOS 9.3.1 that confirmed this development.
Li-Fi wireless data: Sam Oliver of AppleInsider.com has found references to the experimental high-speed wireless networking protocol in recent versions of iOS.
Li-Fi works a bit like infrared remote control and “data is transmitted by rapidly modulating a light source, and received with a light sensor before being re-assembled into an electronic signal”. The report says, “Apple is known to be working on hardware implementations for light-based wireless data transfer, or optical wireless communication”.
Must read: Apple to launch 4-inch screen iPhone 5se in March: report
iOS 9.3 features: Apple seems to be working on a full iOS 9.3 version at the moment. According to Gordon Kelly of Forbes.com, this “full blooded release” will have Smart Education Upgrades, support for smart screen filtering and more advanced 3D touch features.
The education features will reportedly include a shared iPad feature, which will lets students log into any iPad to access their apps, and there will also be a classroom app for a teacher to control all iPads in the class. Smart screen filtering support will let the device combine the clock and geo-location to adjust the screen. More on iOS 9.3 here.
No headphone jack: Several reports claim that Apple’s new iPhone 7 series won’t have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Reports say that Apple could go for headphones which can be plugged into Lightning port, or possibly a pair of more expensive Bluetooth headphones.
The latest report from Fast Company says, that iPhone 7 will use the Lightning cable port for sound output, and “will be noticeably thinner.” The report quotes a source with knowledge of the company’s plans, and adds that Apple’s new iPhone 7 will have a noise-cancelling technology from Wolfson Microelectronics.
It adds that Apple could introduce a set of more expensive headphones possibly under the Beats brand, that it acquired in 2014.
Watch our video review of the Apple iPhone 6s Plus
Earlier Japanese tech blog Macotakara had reported the same, and said that users will have to rely on a Digital to Analogue (DA) converter to use the older Earpod headphones.
Another report on Apple Insider pointed out how the company had showcased Lightning port supported accessories at WWDC in 2014, so the ‘no headphone jack’ news should not be surprising. Apple Insider’s report also linked to a 2011 patent that could make this possible, and the patent shows a D-shaped connector that replaces current 3.5 mm jacks.
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Thinner, waterproof, no aluminium frame: Rumours also claim that iPhone 7 will be thinner (6.1 mm as the iPod Touch), a feat made possible with the elimination of the headphone jack.
Japanese blog Macotakara says Apple has already been testing waterproof and dustproof prototypes of the iPhone 7. The report adds, that Apple could replace the metal frame seen in iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The all-metal design was re-introduced in 2012 with iPhone 5.
Also read: Apple iPhone 6s Plus review: Mr Dependable
OLED display from Samsung, LG: While some blogs have indicated that Apple will stick with LCD displays in iPhone 7, a report from Korea’s Electronic Times said that LG Display and the panel-making unit of Samsung will supply organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for Apple iPhone 7.
OLED screens are thinner and offer better picture quality, than mainstay liquid crystal display screens.
Must read: Apple iPhone 7 OLED display to be supplied by LG, Samsung: report
The report added that LG and Samsung Display are close to a final agreement with Apple for the screens, and that two firms plan a combined 15 trillion won ($12.8 billion) in capital expenditure to build up OLED production capacity over the next two to three years.
A smaller iPhone with 4-inch screen: The iPhone series for 2016 might come in three sizes, if one were to go by the rumours. While the regular iPhone 7 will have a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch screen for iPhone 7 Plus, reports also claim that Apple is working on a smaller iPhone with a 4-inch screen, which could be launched as early as March 2016.
Also see: iPhone 7 with no headphone jack, bigger MacBook Air: A quick look at some Apple rumours
iPhone 7c, or iPhone 6c as it is being called, will also be waterproof. According to Chinese tech blog MyDrivers, the smaller iPhone will have 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage and a 1,642mAh battery. Read more here.
A10 processor to be made by TMSC: With a new series of iPhone, Apple upgrades the processor and for iPhone 7, it will introduce the A10 processor generation.
According to a report in China Times, Taiwan based TSMC will be the exclusive manufacturer of the A10 potentially cutting off Samsung. Apple’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus come with chips from both Samsung and TMSC.
The report notes that the Apple’s A10 processor could be more efficient, and smaller in size allowing for more battery space.
Apple iPhone 7 with USB-Type C: G4Games has claimed that Apple is testing 5 different prototypes of the new iPhone 7 and that one could come with Type-C USB charging. The report also claims that Apple is testing another prototype with an AMOLED display.
Given that the Lightning port was introduced so recently the idea of a new charging port sounds unlikely.
