The world’s most respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities is out with a new research report, revealing the company’s plans for the iPhone 7 and iPad Air 3. Kuo said Tuesday that the iPad Air 3 is on track for launch in the first half of 2016. The next-gen tablet was rumored to arrive in March 2016, when Apple will refresh its Apple Watch and Retina MacBook lines.
iPhone 7 3D Touch to be similar that that of the iPhone 6S
However, the H1 2016 launch window indicates that Apple may launch the tablet in June at its annual WWDC event, where it can highlight new capabilities of the iOS 10. Kuo added that the iPad Air 3 will not feature 3D Touch because of production issues within Apple’s supply chain. He believes that the pressure sensitive display technology is one of the “most severe production bottlenecks” in the iPhone 6S supply chain.
Talking about the iPhone 7, Kuo said the 3D Touch display in the next year’s iPhone will have a “similar technology and structure” as the iPhone 6S. He believes that 3D Touch will further improve user experience only in the long-term. The pressure-sensing technology allows users to perform “Peak and Pop” gestures. Though users and critics have praised the technology, its adoption has been severely affected by the lack of support in third-party apps.
Apple working on yet another 3D Touch-like technology
Separately, sources who have provided “accurate information” about Apple’s plans in the past told Apple Insider that the company was developing a new pressure-sensitive display technology that could be scaled up to the iPad screen sizes. However, the new technology will not be ready in time for the iPhone 7 or iPad Air 3. The Cupertino company has failed to scale the existing 3D Touch to larger displays of the iPad Air or iPad Pro lines.
Ming-Chi Kuo told investors that the iPhone 7 is on track to arrive in September 2016. Recent rumors suggest that the device will be waterproof and dustproof. Taiwanese company TSMC has won the contract to supply A10 processor for the next year’s iPhone.