Apple is expected to introduce its next-gen iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at a press event in San Francisco on September 7. If everything goes as expected, the phones will be up for preorder at Apple and various carrier and retail partners by September 9 with the full launch of the smartphones on September 16. Though nothing is confirmed as yet (not even the iPhone 7), there are reports that buyers in China are able to reserve the new iPhone.
Will Apple punish the retail partner?
Apple’s iPhone is one of the few gadgets that people know well in advance — even long before they’re actually announced – that they will buy. So taking advantage of this, one of Apple’s biggest retail partners have opened up iPhone 7 reservations to the public. Potential buyers in China can now head to a page on Leleda’s website (via Twitter) to book the much-anticipated phone.
All they need to do is enter their name and mobile number and then the verification code sent to their number. After this, they can choose the number of iPhones they want to reserve and confirm their bookings. Each customer is allowed to reserve a maximum of 15 iPhone 7 handsets.
Considering the control that Apple likes to have, the U.S. firm will surely not be happy with Leleda for taking reservations for an iPhone that is not even announced yet. However in recent years, the Cupertino-based firm has relaxed many of its policies, so it may not take any action against the Chinese firm.
New high-resolution images of gold iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
New high-resolution images of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have made their way to the web (via Letem svetem Applem), reports MacRumors. The images originated from mobile peripheral website Topp Ten, which claims that along with the usual color options — Rose Gold, Gold, and Silver – the new iPhone will also be available in a blue variant. This reignited a previous rumor which was believed to be a mistake that the “Deep Blue” iPhone 7 is just a new shade of Space Gray.
Importantly, the images show how the gold colored iPhone will look. The images give an idea of the iPhone’s front and rear sides. However, it is difficult to ascertain from the images if the devices will come with the usual tactile home button rather than the rumored flush, Force Touch-enabled alternative. Since the upcoming iPhone is expected to be a modest upgrade, a change to one of the longest-living features – how Home Button looks and functions – could prove an attractive selling point.
The back of the iPhone shows nothing new. As expected, the dual-lens camera for the iPhone 7 Plus version and the single-lens camera for the iPhone 7 is shown in the image. Previously, there were reports of Apple releasing three variants, with the third being the iPhone 7 Pro, which will be equipped with a dual-lens camera and other premium features. But these latest images seem to contradict this.
Although we have heard about the larger model having a Smart Connector at the rear, the image does not show the potential added-in feature on the iPhone 7 Plus. It was not very clear what benefit a Smart Connector would bring apart from the potential possibility of supporting wireless charging or battery cases.
An all-glass iPhone 7?
Overall, the latest images support most of the expected features in the iPhone 7 like tapered camera enclosures, a design similar to that of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, and realigned antenna bands. The images, however, do not show the sides of the iPhone 7, so it is not known if they back the long-running rumors of Apple ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack. This is one of the most interesting rumors surrounding the 2016 iPhone despite the steady flow of accessory leaks and videos.
Also there are rumors that the iPhone 7 will be an “all glass” design. However, this could be a change reserved for the 2017 iPhone and not the one we are expecting in September. The all–glass iPhone rumor comes from the Japanese website Nikkei, which was told by a source that “Foxconn has been trying glass chassis’ since last year.”
“It is only natural that Foxconn is trying to come up with glass chassis as the capabilities to provide more components will bolster its standing within the supply chain and help with more orders,” another source told the media outlet.
