As the rumors continue to build about what Apple will release during 2015, the corporation has been quietly beavering away behind closed doors. The result of these efforts, according to recent reports, will be the latest release of the iOS 9 operating system, sometime around fall. And it is already strongly assumed that the iPhone 7 will benefit from iOS 9 when it is released in September.
iOS 9 set for World Wide Developers Conference
Apple looks to be following a similar schedule to 2014, with the new version of its proprietary software set to be unveiled at its World Wide Developers Conference. The date for this event hasn’t been set yet, but it can be firmly pencilled into the tech-following community’s diary as being in June.
It is very early days to know what will feature in this new version of iOS 9, and Apple is notorious for keeping its cards extremely close to its chest. There is no particularly compelling reason for the consumer electronics giant to do anything else; indeed, it is currently in such a dominant position that it very much dances to its own tune.
However, this hasn’t prevented some media outlets and analysts from speculating as to what features will be part of the portfolio of iOS 9. Among these suggestions from the Apple-following community have been the idea that Apple will open up the Apple Pay or NFC chip system to developers, possibly announcing this at the World Wide Developers Conference in June.
Although actual tangible evidence of this is minimal at the moment, this would be a sort of headline creating innovation that Apple would wish to unveil for the conference, and it would also be in line with the corporation’s policy with regard to its TouchID fingerprint sensor last year.
Asian supply chain leaks
While these murmurings continue apace, news sources in Korea have reported that the native Samsung has already begun manufacturing the A9 processors which will be utilized in the iPhone 7. According to reports, this process has commenced in one of Samsung’s plants based in Austin, Texas. Although Apple hasn’t confirmed that Samsung will be involved in this process, it has been reported that the Korean electronics giant – who are also ironically Apple’s major rival in the smartphone marketplace – has already won the bidding process to manufacture these processors.
Early indications are that the new A9 chip will be thinner, lighter and more powerful than previous iterations of the series. This suggests that it will be possible for Apple to design an even slimmer iPhone 7 than previous models.
Additionally, it is interesting to note that the Chinese company Foxconn, which plays such an instrumental role in Apple’s supply chain, has reportedly invested a huge sum of $2.6 billion in constructing a sapphire plant in Taiwan. Speculation is already rife that this is intended to feed Apple with a supply of a Sapphire Glass for a forthcoming iPhone device.
If this story is accurate then it will almost certainly lead to something that was predicted for sometime prior to the release of the iPhone 6. The last generation flagship Apple smartphone was widely expected to feature the more robust Sapphire Glass, but this ultimately never came to fruition despite a considerable amount of analyst speculation and assertion. But we know that Apple has been buying up industrial quantities of this material, and it seems a racing certainty that this will feature in the Apple iPhone series at some point in near future.
iPhone 6s rumors persist
With regard to the make-up of the iPhone 7, rumors continue to persist that a smaller 4-inch screened version of the phone will precede the release of the premium iPhone 7. This mooted iPhone 6s would see the light of day in spring this year, according to analyst predictions. The notion of an iPhone with a smaller screen is seen as being in line with the ethos of the late CEO and founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, who wants asserted that 3.5-inches is the optimum size for a smartphone display.
Of course, the industry has moved on a significantly since Jobs made these remarks, but rumors persist that Apple is currently contemplating and working on developing an affordable, entry-level iPhone that may perform particularly well in the East Asian marketplace.
Another persistent rumor which has ramped up recently is the idea that Apple will include a dual-lens camera in the next generation iPhone. Apple Insider has suggested that a leak from the Asian supply chain on which Apple relies has indicated that this is very much in development, and that once it is released it will enable the iPhone series to deliver optical zoom; a feature which has been desired on a smartphone platform for quite some time.
Such a dual-lens figuration would enable Apple to deliver faster HDR photography and better low-light performance, although there is no indication yet how Apple would intend to implement this. Whether the corporation has developed its own proprietary technology, or whether it intends to merely improve upon the existing Corephotonics system is open to debate.
Another possible innovation which has also been floated recently is the idea of a brand new three-dimensional touch sensor that will be included on the next iPhone. According to reports this already has a working name of ‘Force Touch’, and will include an extremely high-tech raft of sensors which will enable the device to deliver enhanced health-tracking functionality with regard to facets of the niche, such as blood pressure readings and pulse.
iPhone 7 spec
Other suggestions coming out of Taiwan are that Apple will freeze the screen sizes of the two models for the next iPhone generation, double the level of standard storage capacity, significantly increase the level of RAM included in the device, ensure extremely close integration with the forthcoming Apple Watch, and possibly release an iPhone 7 model with a curved screen, akin to the Galaxy Note Edge.
Apple watches will be keeping a very close eye on these rumors, and many more besides, as the year develops and the date of the World Wide Developers Conference in June ticks closer.
