The intriguing breaking news about the next generation iPhone this week indicates that Apple will release a brand new model with a larger display than has been included previously. This 5.8-inch iPhone will hit the stores to mark the tenth anniversary of the iPhone range, in what is certain to be a critical year for the consumer electronics giant.
iPhone X coming?
Reports on this new Apple release have suggested that it could be called iPhone X; the X presumably to acknowledge the tenth anniversary nature of this model via a Roman numeral. However, there are other possibilities for this smartphone as well. Apple’s naming convention over the last few years has seen an S version of its smartphone released biannually, suggesting that the iPhone 7S could be utilized as a title. Or, as has been indicated elsewhere previously, Apple could decided to call this larger unit the iPhone 8, and name the standard-sized models of the smartphone the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus.
Apple could consider changing its naming policy as a direct reaction to Samsung, with reports suggesting that the Korean rival of Apple will change its approach to the Galaxy in 2017. This could partly be a response to the disastrous Galaxy Note 7, but regardless of the reasoning, it has been indicated that Samsung is considering launching the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 during 2017.
This would mean that if Apple were to resort to iPhone 8 as a name for its next generation smartphone that it would fall behind Samsung in numbering. Calling the new larger version of the iPhone by the name iPhone X would effectively seem to be a psychological ploy to keep the smartphone ahead of Samsung.
However, Apple has never been a company to follow others, priding itself on plowing a lone and unique furrow, and this could convince the corporation to completely ignore what Samsung is doing. Certainly, Apple will have plenty of opportunity to respond to Samsung, with the Galaxy S9 expected to be unveiled in February. But Apple may instead opt for the iPhone 8, which has been largely reported as the likely name for the smartphone over the last few months.
Biannual policy
Conversely, as mentioned previously, Apple has recently opted for a biannual naming policy, and the iPhone 7S is due as a name this year. Although the consensus of opinion is that Apple will release something truly revolutionary in 2017, in order to mark the tenth anniversary of the iPhone range and attempt to hold sliding sales, the reality is that the Californian corporation could completely ignore this suggestion.
Apple may instead decide that there is no reason to dispense from its usual approach to smartphones, and thus name of this new device as the iPhone 7S, with possibly an additional moniker added to the larger version of the three.
It does seem, though, based on recent analyst data that Apple needs to send a message to consumers that the next generation iPhone is truly a revolution in the smartphone series. Morgan Stanley has recently predicted that the quantity of iPhone 7 sales in 2017 will fail to live up to the expectations of the market-leader in consumer electronics, and this will mean that the next generation iPhone becomes even more important for Apple.
Conservative releases
Additionally, although the iPhone remains hugely iconic and a critical aspect of Apple’s overall strategy, the fact remains that the smartphone has been considered somewhat disappointing over the last few years. Apple has been accused of producing conservative upgrades to the iPhone series, with the mentality of piling things high and selling them cheap rather to central to the Apple ethos.
While CEO Tim Cook has largely presided over a successful financial period for the company, it has been noted that this has certainly slowed down recently, and also that Cook has perhaps failed to deliver on Apple’s reputation as an innovator. The supremo of Apple will be keen to reverse this image, and thus we can perhaps expect the next iPhone to be more ambitious than recent releases.
So the smart money should be on Apple moving away from the S branding of previous releases and either opting for the iPhone 8 for iPhone X as the name of this new larger smartphone. The likelihood is that this will be a significant departure from previous iPhone releases, meaning that we can expect numerous new features when the iPhone 8 is unveiled.
New features
Aside from the alteration in the iPhone name, there are therefore several new elements predicted for the iPhone 8 / iPhone X. It is now widely anticipated that this new smartphone will feature a wraparound 5.8-inch OLED screen, while the fingerprint scanner, front camera and earpiece are likely to be embedded within the display. This latter rumor would obviously indicate that Apple will eliminate the Home button from the iPhone 8 / iPhone X, finally achieving something that has been rumored in the Apple-following community for many years.
Apple will probably also ensure that it is possible to recharge the next generation iPhone wirelessly. Recent reports have strongly emphasized that the Cupertino-based company will bring wireless charging to the iPhone range for the first time in 2017, and this would obviously be a massive plus point for iPhone consumers.
The iPhone 8 / iPhone X is also likely to have a significant virtual reality emphasis, with Apple looking to get on board with a new aspect of the consumer electronics market place that looks to be extremely important in the coming years. If this is the case, Apple could also improve the resolution of the display included in the next generation iPhone, meaning that Apple embraces quad HD in its phablet for the first time.
It is always difficult to anticipate Apple branding, as the Apple Watch was widely expected to be dubbed the iWatch ahead of its release. But the revolutionary features being linked with the smartphone suggest that the entirely new name of iPhone X may indeed be accurate.
