Apple will release an iPhone 8 in 2017 it to acknowledge the tenth anniversary of this absolutely critical product. The exalted status of the corporation can be largely attributed to the success of its iDevices, with the iPhone unquestionably being the most important. Recent Apple releases in this niche have been rather conservative, and thus pundits believe that the consumer electronics giant will produce something far more adventurous when the iPhone 8 is unveiled.
Considering the excitement about this hardware release, there is already a huge amount of speculation regarding what Apple will include in its portfolio of features. So here is a rundown of the latest iPhone 8 rumors.
iPhone 8 Curved screen
It is looking increasingly likely that Apple will consider including a curved display in the iPhone 8 when it is released. This is a physical feature of smartphones that has been successfully pioneered by Samsung in particular, with the Korean manufacturer building on its range of curved television sets with the Galaxy Edge range.
Evidence has emerged which suggests that Apple has been buying up displays for this precise purpose, and we also know that the corporation has copyrighted and patented its own curved screen display technology. An edge-to-edge display is even possible, as the trend for slimming down the bezels in consumer electronics becomes more prevalent.
It has generally been suggested that this new curved screen variant of the iPhone 8 will launch alongside other flat panel models. But it seems certain that a curved iPhone 8 would be extremely popular with consumers.
Three models
In line with this suggestion, it is also believed that Apple will release more models of the iPhone 8 than has been the case with previous smartphone releases. It is believed by sources in East Asia, located close to the Apple supply chain, that Apple will release a premium version of the iPhone 8, including all of the new bells and whistles intended for the smartphone range, while other more affordable versions will also be released that are somewhat toned down.
Not only would this make commercial sense for Apple, and allow it to target various demographics in different locations, it would also fit into the current ethos of the corporation. Apple has attempted to give consumers significant choice with the Apple Watch smartwatch, and this next generation smartphone would also benefit from as much variety as possible.
Wireless charging
It is expected that Apple will finally deliver wireless charging for the iPhone range when the iPhone 8 is released. Not only will this appear in the iPhone series for the first time, but long-distance wireless charging is being linked with the iPhone 8 according to the latest media reports.
Technology has already been revealed which enables smartphones to be charged 11 inches away from the charger. It is believed that affordable versions of this will appear at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January next year, and that if this is the case that Apple will include it in the iPhone 8.
Face-scanning and iris recognition
In an attempt to beef up security in the iPhone 8, leaks from a Chinese manufacturer state that Apple will bolster the iPhone 8 by including enhanced biometrics. This will include iris-scanning and face-recognition technology.
Increasingly, biometric passports will be utilized in order to unlock smartphones, effectively making them considerably less vulnerable to theft. Of course, hackers and thieves are always one step ahead of such security efforts, and there is no guarantee that some workaround will not be found.
It would be a challenge for Apple to include this feature in the iPhone 8, but the advantages for the corporation would nonetheless be obvious.
Home button
This rumor is becoming rather an old chestnut, with many sources having linked Apple with the dissolution of the Home button for some years. But it seems certain that it will finally come to fruition in the next 12 months, with Samsung being linked with abandoning this feature in the Galaxy range as well.
Including a digital version of the Home button within the screen would mean that the iPhone 8 could be smaller while still including the same size display, and also possibly the Apple could even contemplate increasing the screen size.
OLED technology
Apple is likely to switch to OLED technology in at least one of the devices released as part of the iPhone 8 range. This technology is already utilized in the Apple Watch, and has proved rather popular for Samsung. It would be particularly valuable for the iPhone 8, as it enables superior color contrast and brightness, while there is also evidence which suggests that it is less greedy on power than existing LCD technology.
Virtual reality
There have been murmurings in the media which suggest that Apple will consider seriously embracing virtual reality technology when the iPhone 8 is released. This would make obvious sense as VR is becoming more mainstream, as evidenced by the release of the PlayStation VR project earlier this year. Apple has always been keen to be an innovator, and it seems absolutely clear that virtual reality will form a significant part of the consumer electronics landscape in the foreseeable future.
Resolution increase
In truth, Apple has been lagging behind its main rivals for some time in this department, and the iPhone range is overdue a resolution increase. It is this reality which has perhaps led to suggestions that Apple will increase the number of pixels that can be displayed by the iPhone 8, rather than any actual indications from the company itself. Apple has largely chosen to focus on other aspects of the iPhone range than resolution, but there will surely be pressure on the company to deliver improved display capabilities in this tenth generation release.
This could lead Apple to produce a smartphone version of the iPhone 8 with full HD resolution, while the larger phablet models could deliver quad HD displays.
