Apple fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the iPhone 7 later this year. This is understandable, as the inclusion of a new digit usually signifies something outstanding and often revolutionary from the consumer electronics giant. But this may not be the case with the iPhone 7, and this could lead some existing iPhone owners to wait until the release of the iPhone 8 before upgrading.
iPhone 8 rumors
In particular, analysis this week from Barclays suggested that the iPhone 7 will only be an incremental update over the iPhone 6S, and that it will not feature the sort of new design, components and features that Apple fans crave. This is perhaps a little surprising, as it has been generally assumed that the iPhone 7 would be a major improvement over the existing iPhone 6S.
This news suggests that many fans of the iPhone range, who are eager for the next generation iPhone 7 to hit the market, may be better advised to wait for the iPhone 8 in 2017. It seems that once again the iPhone 7 release will only represent gradual improvement over the existing iPhone 6S, and that Apple will instead delay the smartphone revolution until the next calendar year.
Perhaps those iPhone consumers who already own the iPhone 6 may consider an upgrade, but it may not make a great deal of financial sense for existing iPhone 6S owners to upgrade this time out, based on the latest information from analysts. Indeed, Barclays believes that the iPhone 8 will increase Apple sales of the iPhone by in excess of 10 percent, underlining what an exciting smartphone this will be when it is released.
It must be said in mitigation that this news is not exactly solid at the time of writing, even if Barclays does have outstanding resources and sources at its disposal. With the analysis being based on supply chain data, it does seem rather credible information that has been released by Barclays, even if such analysis does not always ultimately hit the mark.
Headphone jack
But it seems based on widely publicized information released in the last few days that the iPhone 7 will indeed be a little more than an incremental update to the existing iPhone 6S. New physical features in the smartphone due for release in September of this year could be limited to the removal of the headphone jack, with this perennial aspect of the smartphone instead to be replaced by a wireless speaker system.
This particular aspect of the iPhone 7 has been anticipated for some time, and if Apple will not be overly ambitious with its next flagship release then it seems likely that this will be at least one physical aspect of the device that will indeed materialize.
Perhaps this could be an attractive aspect of the smartphone for consumers who particularly relish listening to music via mobile devices, but is it really justification enough in itself to upgrade to the iPhone 7? It would certainly seem to be a rather niche aspect of the smartphone, particularly for iPhone 6S owners who may already have a smartphone that significantly resembles the iPhone 7 (at least in theory!).
Camera changes
So based on the information that we have so far, what other changes are likely to be resident in the iPhone 7 when it is released? Well, the first area where Apple is likely to upgrade the smartphone is in its camera capabilities. Numerous sources have suggested that Apple could implement a dual-camera system when the iPhone 7 is released, and even though analysts are now predicting a somewhat conservative iPhone 7, it would still seem to be possible to implement this without too much difficulty.
There is a particular onus on Apple to deliver this improved photographic capability as the Galaxy S7 featured the dual-pixel system earlier this year which improved the capabilities of the smartphone in low-light shooting conditions. This has been a perennial bugbear of smartphone cameras for some time, and its inclusion in the Galaxy S7 was something of a game changer.
Other spec upgrades
Apple is also likely to upgrade some of the specs included in the iPhone 7, and this could attract some consumers. Considering that the next generation iPhone 8 is set for 2017, it is now debatable to what extent the specs will indeed be updated. But delivering improved specs in common smartphone categories is rather less involved than completely redesigning the unit, so this is at least feasible; and indeed Apple must do something to attract customers.
Thus, Apple could still decide to upgrade the display in the iPhone 7, meaning that the smartphone would be the first ever full HD unit from the consumer electronics giant, while a quad HD phablet is also possible.
Apple will also surely concentrate on the battery life in the iPhone 7, as this is one area where games can be made in relatively straightforward fashion that can make a practical difference to consumers. There have been numerous complaints about Apple in this area, with the iPhone range delivering a rather paltry battery life, and thus Apple is likely to fit a somewhat larger cell in the iPhone 7, while also possibly utilizing power-saving functionality in iOS 10.
RAM, storage, processors and chipsets will also all see incremental upgrades over the existing iPhone 6S, and even if the iPhone 7 is not a revolutionary smartphone, it will certainly be a slicker performer than its predecessor.
Conclusion
But is this enough? In all honesty, many consumers who already own the iPhone 6S will conclude that this is unsatisfactory reason to purchase the iPhone 7 as well. This is reflected by the fact that Barclays now anticipates that iPhone sales will diminish by 2 percent in 2016. Even Apple itself has a predicted that the iPhone range will sell less in the current calendar year than in 2015, and perhaps the Cupertino-based company knows something that we do not.
Nonetheless, for those relying on the iPhone 6, the iPhone 7 and will certainly be well worth considering, and some completists will always wish to purchase it. But it wouldn’t be at all surprising if many consumers opt to wait for the next generation iPhone 8 in 2017.
