Apple traditionally launchs its new iPhones inside Q3/Q4. This has been the case for as long as most people can remember, but in 2016 there are rumours afoot that things could be about to change. It is now looking increasingly likely that Apple will release three iPhones in 2016: the iPhone 7, the iPhone 7 Plus and, finally -- although it will launch a lot earlier than the other two -- the iPhone 5se, which is essentially a reboot of the iPhone 5c.
This will be the first time Apple has released a trio of handsets inside a single year. The company has recorded record sales in the past few years from iPhone sales. Never before have iPhones been so popular; they’re literally everywhere these days. And in 2016, Apple is clearly looking to cash in on this trend by offering its customers even more choice when it comes to picking a new iPhone.
The iPhone 5se is expected to launch alongside the Apple iPad Air 3 and, potentially, the Apple Watch 2 at an event in March. The iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 will then go on sale a week or so later -- Apple Insider suggests.
“Apple is currently aiming to unveil the new 4-inch the iPhone 5se, the iPad Air 3, and new Apple Watch band options at an event on Tuesday, March 15th, according to sources. We previously reported that Apple was on track to launch the new products during the week of March 14th. As the scheduled event is still a month-and-a-half away, the date could conceivably still shift or turn into an online announcement. The media event would be Apple’s first since September, and much like the fall event, is planned to touch on three major product categories for the company.”
This will make 2016 Apple’s busiest year for a very long time. Never before has the company launched so much hardware in such as short space of time. Even just a few years ago the idea of a dual-iPhone launch seemed bizarre — and now we’re looking at three (and one inside Q1, no less).
Is this a case of Apple striking while the iron’s hot? Most definitely. The iPhone has never been more popular, so what better time to expand its reach in the mobile space? Record sales figures for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s are impressive, but factor in the iPhone 7 this year alongside a new and slightly cheaper 4in iPhone 5se and it is easy to see Apple performing another record year for 2016/17.
I know, what the heck does that mean? Will your iPhone now be able to withstand an EMP attack from a rouge foreign state?
No. No it won't.
EMI shielding is a layer of thin metal protective shielding put over various computer components to protect them from becoming affected by or affecting other components nearby. The negative effects various components put out usually come in the form of wireless signal (think NFC or Wi-Fi) interference. The more complex components get, the greater a chance are for them to interfere with other components in the same device.
That’s where EMI shielding comes it. It can contain any negative effect a component may have. Apple has actually used EMI shielding in the iPhone for a while now with various portions of the iPhone circuit board and some individual chips featuring the shielding. But now, according to ETNews, the iPhone 7 will feature the technology on a wider array of its chips.
“Apple first applied EMI Shield technology to major chip package ‘S1’ of Apple Watch that was released last year. To apply such technology onto major chips of iPhone 7, it has been doing development project with packaging businesses since last year.
It is heard that Apple personally chose equipment partners during this process and had induced packaging businesses to give them contracts,” ETNews reported. “StatsChipPac and Amkor have made many contracts with South Korean sputter and handler businesses for EMI Shield since end of last year. Contracts are worth more than tens of millions of dollars, and additional contracts will take place during first half of this year also.”
“As clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently added, reduction of electromagnetic waves have emerged as major topic of this industry.” a representative of chip industry told ETNews. “As other Smartphone businesses might be looking to apply EMI Shield technology to major chips just as Apple did, packaging and other related equipment industries will benefit a lot from this.”
So what does this mean for you, the end user? Well, not too much. Chances are the iPhone 7 will now be less prone to interference with whatever advanced chips it contains, but given Apple has handled this interference problem pretty well in the past without users noticing means you shouldn’t notice anything different in regards to this tech in the iPhone 7.
Currently if you touch your iPhone’s screen with wet fingers it either won’t register your touch or the touch sensors will misinterpret the action, which will result in a wrong button being activated or odd scrolling on the screen. This is because water is capacitive and confuses the electric signal that the iPhone’s touchscreen needs to register from your finger when you touch it. If you want to see this in action, just think of trying to use your iPhone the last time you were outside and it started to drizzle.
But now thanks to a new screen from Japan Display called "Pixel Eyes” wet fingers won’t interfere with the iPhone’s touchscreen anymore. The company, who Apple already uses for some of its displays, has released a second generation "Pixel Eyes” display that can be operated with wet fingers, according to MacRumors.
“iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Watch, for example, don't respond well to touch with wet fingers or when placed in water, so technology like this could be essential if Apple wants to have a functional display in a device advertised as ‘waterproof’,” the site says.
Japan Display has already begun volume production of the displays, so they are indeed ready well ahead of time that iPhone 7 manufacturing would need them to be. The inclusion of the wet finger display technology isn’t a sure thing, but with the other waterproof rumors of the iPhone 7 it makes a lot of sense.
According to said reports, Apple wants to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack entirely and use the iPhone 7’s existing Lighting Port for connecting headphones instead. Whether the iPhone 5se will get the same treatment remains to be seen.
News of the switcharoo, however, caused something of an uproar. How DARE Apple change something as fundamental as the iPhone 7’s headphone jack.
How bloody DARE they, indeed!
The apparent reason behind the switcharoo is that Apple wants to make the iPhone 7 SUPER slim and in order to do this it had to get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
“At the moment,” says The Telegraph, “iPhones feature just one speaker panel on the right hand side. Wider audio has been an interest of Apple in recent devices, such as on the iPad Pro — which uses speakers on all of its sides to produce a bigger, stereo sound.”
Sound familiar? It should. A lot of Android phones have been doing this for a long time, most notably HTC ones with their BoomSound speakers. The inclusion of a new speaker system aboard the iPhone, while useful, is not something we’d have predicted as a “high priority” for Apple.
On a more positive note, though, the iPhone 7 will likely have dual-stereo speakers now, meaning chavs on buses can REALLY ruin your commute home later on this year.
The move would also mean headphone manufacturers would have to produce Apple-specific headphones that feature lightening port connectors and not the standard 3.5mm jack. From Apple’s perspective this might be advantageous but that is literally the only positive — for almost everybody else it will SUCK. Lightening port headphones will likely cost more, your old headphones will become redundant and it’ll take A LONG time for headphone makers to adopt the new standard, meaning choice will be limited to begin with should Apple go this route.
Or, the other alternative: “Apple will likely bundle new iPhones with EarPods that pack Lightning connectors or include 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapters in the iPhone’s box,” notes BGR. “That latter option seems like the more reasonable option, meaning the new headphones will likely work with older smartphones and other devices that have 3.5mm headphone jacks. Of course, this also means that old headphones will need the adapter to work with the iPhone 7, and Apple will likely have one for sale, generating a new, even if tiny, profit stream for the company.”
The iPhone 5se is expected to launch alongside the Apple iPad Air 3 and, potentially, the Apple Watch 2 at an event in March. The iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 will then go on sale a week or so later -- Apple Insider suggests.
“Apple is currently aiming to unveil the new 4-inch the iPhone 5se, the iPad Air 3, and new Apple Watch band options at an event on Tuesday, March 15th, according to sources. We previously reported that Apple was on track to launch the new products during the week of March 14th. As the scheduled event is still a month-and-a-half away, the date could conceivably still shift or turn into an online announcement. The media event would be Apple’s first since September, and much like the fall event, is planned to touch on three major product categories for the company.”
This will make 2016 Apple’s busiest year for a very long time. Never before has the company launched so much hardware in such as short space of time. Even just a few years ago the idea of a dual-iPhone launch seemed bizarre — and now we’re looking at three (and one inside Q1, no less).
Is this a case of Apple striking while the iron’s hot? Most definitely. The iPhone has never been more popular, so what better time to expand its reach in the mobile space? Record sales figures for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s are impressive, but factor in the iPhone 7 this year alongside a new and slightly cheaper 4in iPhone 5se and it is easy to see Apple performing another record year for 2016/17.
iPhone 7 New Tech Will Make Batteries BIGGER and Wi-Fi FASTER
Some advanced engineering news has leaked out about the iPhone 7. Apple is reportedly working on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding that will individually shield most of the phone's major chips.I know, what the heck does that mean? Will your iPhone now be able to withstand an EMP attack from a rouge foreign state?
No. No it won't.
EMI shielding is a layer of thin metal protective shielding put over various computer components to protect them from becoming affected by or affecting other components nearby. The negative effects various components put out usually come in the form of wireless signal (think NFC or Wi-Fi) interference. The more complex components get, the greater a chance are for them to interfere with other components in the same device.
That’s where EMI shielding comes it. It can contain any negative effect a component may have. Apple has actually used EMI shielding in the iPhone for a while now with various portions of the iPhone circuit board and some individual chips featuring the shielding. But now, according to ETNews, the iPhone 7 will feature the technology on a wider array of its chips.
“Apple first applied EMI Shield technology to major chip package ‘S1’ of Apple Watch that was released last year. To apply such technology onto major chips of iPhone 7, it has been doing development project with packaging businesses since last year.
It is heard that Apple personally chose equipment partners during this process and had induced packaging businesses to give them contracts,” ETNews reported. “StatsChipPac and Amkor have made many contracts with South Korean sputter and handler businesses for EMI Shield since end of last year. Contracts are worth more than tens of millions of dollars, and additional contracts will take place during first half of this year also.”
“As clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently added, reduction of electromagnetic waves have emerged as major topic of this industry.” a representative of chip industry told ETNews. “As other Smartphone businesses might be looking to apply EMI Shield technology to major chips just as Apple did, packaging and other related equipment industries will benefit a lot from this.”
So what does this mean for you, the end user? Well, not too much. Chances are the iPhone 7 will now be less prone to interference with whatever advanced chips it contains, but given Apple has handled this interference problem pretty well in the past without users noticing means you shouldn’t notice anything different in regards to this tech in the iPhone 7.
iPhone 7 rumored to have slimmer bezel and WET FINGER SUPPORT
Hands down, this is the most exciting news about the iPhone 7 we’ve heard yet. For months the iPhone 7 has been rumored to be waterproof, so if you drop in in the toilet you don’t need to spend another £600. But the really exciting news is now that the iPhone 7 won’t only be waterproof, but you’ll be able to interact with its touchscreen even when your fingers are wet.Currently if you touch your iPhone’s screen with wet fingers it either won’t register your touch or the touch sensors will misinterpret the action, which will result in a wrong button being activated or odd scrolling on the screen. This is because water is capacitive and confuses the electric signal that the iPhone’s touchscreen needs to register from your finger when you touch it. If you want to see this in action, just think of trying to use your iPhone the last time you were outside and it started to drizzle.
But now thanks to a new screen from Japan Display called "Pixel Eyes” wet fingers won’t interfere with the iPhone’s touchscreen anymore. The company, who Apple already uses for some of its displays, has released a second generation "Pixel Eyes” display that can be operated with wet fingers, according to MacRumors.
“iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Watch, for example, don't respond well to touch with wet fingers or when placed in water, so technology like this could be essential if Apple wants to have a functional display in a device advertised as ‘waterproof’,” the site says.
Japan Display has already begun volume production of the displays, so they are indeed ready well ahead of time that iPhone 7 manufacturing would need them to be. The inclusion of the wet finger display technology isn’t a sure thing, but with the other waterproof rumors of the iPhone 7 it makes a lot of sense.
iPhone 7 Headphone Jack SAGA Continues: Bose-Style Headphones Rumoured
A few months back reports began circulating about Apple ditching the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack aboard its upcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets.According to said reports, Apple wants to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack entirely and use the iPhone 7’s existing Lighting Port for connecting headphones instead. Whether the iPhone 5se will get the same treatment remains to be seen.
News of the switcharoo, however, caused something of an uproar. How DARE Apple change something as fundamental as the iPhone 7’s headphone jack.
How bloody DARE they, indeed!
The apparent reason behind the switcharoo is that Apple wants to make the iPhone 7 SUPER slim and in order to do this it had to get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
“At the moment,” says The Telegraph, “iPhones feature just one speaker panel on the right hand side. Wider audio has been an interest of Apple in recent devices, such as on the iPad Pro — which uses speakers on all of its sides to produce a bigger, stereo sound.”
Sound familiar? It should. A lot of Android phones have been doing this for a long time, most notably HTC ones with their BoomSound speakers. The inclusion of a new speaker system aboard the iPhone, while useful, is not something we’d have predicted as a “high priority” for Apple.
On a more positive note, though, the iPhone 7 will likely have dual-stereo speakers now, meaning chavs on buses can REALLY ruin your commute home later on this year.
The move would also mean headphone manufacturers would have to produce Apple-specific headphones that feature lightening port connectors and not the standard 3.5mm jack. From Apple’s perspective this might be advantageous but that is literally the only positive — for almost everybody else it will SUCK. Lightening port headphones will likely cost more, your old headphones will become redundant and it’ll take A LONG time for headphone makers to adopt the new standard, meaning choice will be limited to begin with should Apple go this route.
Or, the other alternative: “Apple will likely bundle new iPhones with EarPods that pack Lightning connectors or include 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapters in the iPhone’s box,” notes BGR. “That latter option seems like the more reasonable option, meaning the new headphones will likely work with older smartphones and other devices that have 3.5mm headphone jacks. Of course, this also means that old headphones will need the adapter to work with the iPhone 7, and Apple will likely have one for sale, generating a new, even if tiny, profit stream for the company.”
“The move will prepare Apple for the possibility of including Cirrus Logic's (an Apple audio supplier) more advanced noise-cancellation smart codec in 2017,” says 9to5Mac, “which requires a digital codec to be installed in the first place.”
Sounds great, doesn't it? NOISE CANCELLATION. But unfortunately this new feature might not be available inside the iPhone 7. Nope. According to some market watchers, Apple COULD do its old trick and keep this one back for 2017’s iPhone 7s .
“We still believe there is potential for AAPL to add ANC in the iPhone 7s but believe AAPL is including just the digital headphone in the iPhone 7 this year. Recent speculation surrounding the elimination of the headphone jack in the IP7 is consistent with this move as AAPL will need to provide a digital headset inbox but likely was not willing to spend the extra cost for the ANC functionality.”
To be honest, I’d be happy if they’d just make the damn thing more comfortable. The current generation EarPods really make my ears ache after hardly any time at all.
