Rumors have been swirling that Apple is planning to release a range-topping iPhone 7 Pro this autumn, but one tipster does not think this is the case.
Evan Blass has a good record when it comes to predicting Apple’s next moves, and he has refuted claims that the iPhone 7 will have three different models. Instead Apple will stick to its standard practice of releasing a standard model and a larger Plus model, writes Horia Ungureanu for Tech Times.
Twitter tipster reveals two codenames for iPhone 7
Blass says that Apple will release an iPhone 7 and an iPhone 7 Pro. The tipster took to Twitter to reveal some codename details for the new phones, saying that only two codenames exist.
There are not many details that can be garnered from the codenames alone, but they do reveal that Apple likes to name its products after Californian cities.
Previous rumors had suggested that there would be three models of the iPhone 7. On July 18 a leaked photo appeared which hinted at three separate, with an alleged iPhone 7 Pro showing a Smart Connector and a dual-lens camera. In comparison the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus could be seen sporting a single camera.
Blass seems to believe that the iPhone 7 Plus could ship with a dual-lens camera. This could be an attempt to drive sales of the larger model by giving it different hardware to the standard iPhone 7.
What will Apple change on the new smartphone?
Tech Insiders experts said that the photo leak from Monday is fake. Blass appears to share their opinion.
The prevailing opinion is that the iPhone 7 will look largely similar to the existing iPhone 6s. It is thought that Apple is planning a major redesign for the 2017 iPhone, which may be christened the iPhone 8.
As a result it is predicted that Apple will bring only a few tweaks to the iPhone 7. Among them is the possible removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been one of the most persistent and long-running rumors of them all. All signs point to the fact that Apple will do away with the audio connector in order to make the phone thinner.
Apple battling Samsung in high-end smartphone market
This raises the question of what the company will do with its headphones. Some people floated the idea of wireless earbuds, but the technology is still in a nascent stage and sound quality would likely suffer. Now it seems more likely that 3.5mm EarPods will still ship with the iPhone 7, but the package will also include an adapter for the Lightning connector.
Other leaked images have shown handsets which look largely similar to the iPhone 6s, with antenna bands in different places. Analysts are debating whether or not Apple will be able to drive sales with a handset that does not offer a significant upgrade.
It may be that Cupertino is looking to 2017 as the year in which it introduces major changes to the iPhone. However as it stands the company is losing out to biggest rival Samsung in the key U.S. market, in which the Korean company is now the largest selling smartphone maker.
Apple is presumably hoping that loyal customers will upgrade to the iPhone 7 despite the possibility that it does not offer a huge amount of new features over the existing model. There remains the possibility that most average consumers will wait until 2017 to upgrade, raising the possibility of continued weak sales for Apple.
