It’s just a little less than 5 months for the next big launch from Apple, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus and the rumor chain seems to be just elongating by the day.
Though there have been reports that the iPhone 7 has nothing new to offer than its earlier versions, there might be new changes that may be introduced. The latest talk about the next generation iPhone is that it might be launched with complete dust proof and water proof features. According to DigiTimes, a Taiwanese website, Apple has also been testing for a home button that is touch-sensitive. This reportedly means that the upcoming biggie could possibly have Force Touch or a flush home button.
Three published reports in the past seven months from the DigiTimes has claimed that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 will be waterproof and dust proofing will also be imminently presumable. The iPhone 6S is not waterproof but is relatively water-resistant. Recently, Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site had reported that iPhone 7 might be launched with a strong and waterproof frame. This news was also backed up by a Fast Company that reported that the iPhone 7 might be just 6.1mm thick i.e. as thin as the iPod Touch. This thinner body can be anticipated because of the missing 3.5mm headset jack.
A Cupertino-based technology firm has reported that a new matte black color that is darker than the existing Space Grey color may be introduced for the iPhone 7 models. Ming-Chi Kuo, a KGI Securities analyst has reported that the new iPhone next year may be entirely a glass enclosure and may let go of its traditional aluminum casing.
Water and Dust resistant!
There have been several reports making the circles about the new iPhone 7 being waterproof and a recent piece of news from the Apple’s source chain from Taiwan has again a rumor originating about the same thing. The latest iPhone 7 is supposedly done with the third round of testing and it claims to be waterproof and dustproof. The removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack gives a better chance for the new iPhone model to be effectively water and dust resistant.
No more Home button??
The rumors regarding iPhones and their home button have mostly been inconsistent. June 2015 saw a report regarding Apple developing a new technology for display i.e. the “integrated fingerprint sensors,” which finally lead to the characteristic home button of the iPhone.
Apple had won a patent last month for its iconic Liquid metal home button which is sensitive to pressure. It slightly deforms when it is pressed but quickly returns back to normal shape as soon as the finger is removed from the button. Though the exclusive rights over this tractile alloy have been renewed every year by Apple since 2010, it still has to be used in a big way. Mark Moskowitz, a Barclay’s analyst has contemplated that the traditional “S” version of the iPhone 7 might be skipped next year and the iPhone 8 may be directly launched without a “real” home button. The single-chip fix by Apple for display drivers and for touch screen may totally eliminate the requirement of a home button, paving the way for a Touch ID-enabled screen.
There have been rumors circulating around the features that are going to be present in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models. These features include stereo speakers, the absence of the 3.5mm headset jack, wireless charging support, dual lens camera on the back, larger battery, Smart Connector like that of the new iPads, and repositioned antenna bands on the back. There are chances that Apple might keep away certain features until 2017 till the next iPhone with OLED. While all these reports seem to be just wild guesses, it is better to consider everything with prudence.