Apple had an outstanding year with its devices in 2014, and its biggest release of 2015, the iPhone 7, is now taking shape. Of course, people who follow Apple closely will know that the decision about whether this device will be named iPhone 7 or iPhone 6s may not even have been made internally. Certainly market observers and analysts are not privy to this discussion yet. But there is an increasing amount of information emanating from sources close to Apple giving us a lot of clues about what to expect from the iPhone 7 when it is eventually released.
iPhone 7 camera
One essential piece of information relating to the iPhone 7 which has remained constant for some weeks and months is the notion that Apple will significantly upgrade the camera in the iPhone 7. This was suggested some time ago, with one report even linking Apple with a unique periscope device.
However, the latest information suggests that the snapper in the iPhone 7 will be both revolutionary and comparable to DSLR cameras. It has been suggested for some time that Apple could indeed produce a camera for the iPhone 7 which is of similar standard to professional quality devices. Perhaps this is slightly wide of the mark, as a true professional-quality DSLR camera would be extremely expensive to implement in a mobile device. But some aspects of Apple’s behavior would seem to suggest that the corporation is shaping up to release something outstanding.
Central to this is the fact that Apple has bought up LinX Computational imaging company, which specializes in cameras for mobile devices that can match DSLR quality photography. It has been reported that this deal was worth $25 million to the consumer electronics giant, and this acquisition has naturally led to rumours that Apple will utilize the technology produced by the Israeli company in the iPhone 7 snapper.
It is worth pointing out that Apple has plenty of experience and expertise in throwing curveballs. if all of the patents that the corporation had applied for had actually been implemented in Apple devices then they would be barely recognizable from the form that they take today. This hasn’t occurred, and Apple is consequently frequently linked with technology that does not come to fruition.
The simple fact that the corporation has bought up this camera technology company does not mean that it will utilize its technology in the immediate future. Apple always has its eyes on the bigger picture, and this acquisition may fit into a much longer term strategy than may be immediately apparent.
4-Inch model looming
Another frequently suggested aspect of the iPhone 7 is that Apple will release a new model of the smartphone with a 4-inch display. This was apparently a preference of the late founder and CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs. Now a new report from Apple supply chain sources in the Far East suggest that this long-rumored device may come to fruition.
According to the Economic Daily News, AUO has agreed a deal with Apple to supply 4-inch displays for a forthcoming iPhone 7 device. It is purported that this version of the smartphone will be named iPhone 7c. Sources close to this breaking news suggested that the screens will be shipped in the first quarter of 2016, which could meet one of two things. Either Apple intends to release all three iPhone 7 models at some point during 2016, or possibly less likely is the suggestion that the iPhone 7c will launch separately from the iPhone 7.
Aside from the preferences of Jobs, a small iPhone 7c would make sense for the corporation owing to the fact that it has promised the city to produce new revenue streams in the coming years. This was a response to Apple’s share price falling significantly in 2014, and although the stock has recovered significantly since that time, Apple will still be aware of the importance of keeping investors onside.
Display
Many aspects of the iPhone 7 remain unclear, but one particular focus of the consumer electronics giant will be the display of the device. Apple has not produced the same quality of screens in recent handsets as its main competitor Samsung, and this will put pressure on the corporation to significantly upgrade the iPhone 7 display.
It has been suggested that Apple could even go as far as including 4K resolution in the iPhone 7. This is certainly an upcoming, and increasingly prominent, technology, and one that Apple has already embraced in its iMac desktop computing range (although technically the 27-inch iMac is a 5K resolution device). But considering that the iPhone 6 Plus was only a 1080p device, and there hasn’t even been a full HD smartphone-sized iPhone yet, if Apple is really is to embrace 4K than a release in 2016 would seem to be an absolute certainty.
More likely, regardless of the release date of the device, is that Apple will upgrade the iPhone 7 to full HD resolution, and release a quad HD iPhone 7s phablet.
Other rumors
There have been numerous other technologies and specifications linked with the iPhone 7. Foremost of these is the persistent suggestion that Apple will include Force Touch technology – which was introduced in the Apple Watch – when it releases the flagship iPhone 7. This could possibly play a part in refining the Apple Pay mobile payment system that Apple released last year. This will doubtless be viewed as an extremely important niche for Apple, considering that Google has just announced Android Pay.
Other rumored features include a revolutionary form of aluminum intended to negate bending issues, a true quad-core processor and 64-bit architecture, a revolutionary joystick home button, 256 GB of internal storage, faster and possibly wireless charging and a redesign of the unit, which could lead to a bezel-less display.
All intriguing rumors, and it will not be too much longer until we find out what Apple has in store for us with the iPhone 7.
