iPhone 7 May Use New Packaging Technology for Antenna Switching Module to Save Space

[ValO]

They' ll probably will not bring a huge redesign for the iPhone 7 and will unpack in 2017.

But if it will look like this(minus the hughe selfie cam), I would be satisfied.

Less bezel, less chins, higher res display, thinner, faster, waterthight and a better camera(but not this selfie cam!)

 

[Jsameds]

"iPhone 4S is too thick", said no one ever.

Because that design came out in 2010 when 9.3mm was an acceptable thickness.

In 2016 however (with a design that needs to last until 2020), 9.3mm is too thick.

 

[5105973]

I'm curious as to what all of you are doing on your phones that your phone doesn't get through a day on a single charge. Or is the issue that you want it to get through more than one day?

Perhaps its the fact that I don't actually do much talking on my phone from a day to day basis, but it's 4PM where I'm at now and I'm still at 70%+. Can't remember the last time my phone died on me.

I travel to my kids sporting events and have to take pics and vids in bright sunlight. Having my screen even at 2/3 brightness outdoors (would love to be able to enjoy full brightness) the battery drains fast even on a 6S Plus. I also use the iPhone as a GPS while on my bike and that's a battery killer. I use it for various app and Internet services at airports. It's also my favorite flashlight and camera because it's always on me.

There are many apps like FB that eat battery fast. And don't forget the battery capacity you get at the start of the iPhone's life is not what you end up with after a year and a half.

 

[hleewell]

Design-wise
iPhone 2G/3G/S : 6.5
iPhone 4/4S : 7
iPhone 5/5S : 7.5
iPhone 6/6S : 8

Nothing subjective about it.

 

[joueboy]

Everyone can mockup any iPhone photo to look like that with the clone tool. That's not even possible if they come up with iPhone like. It's possible they can make it thinner or color match the band. Somehow they need to separate all the antennas unless the almost whole back is an antenna and the rest are just internally separated. SMH!

 

[omnisphere]

Thinner bezels and bigger battery is the way to go, not thinner phone Apple!
iPhone 7 should have at least 2500mAh and 7 Plus at least 3500mAh.
IP 68 would be very nice also.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I have my 6 in a dock at work...it stands upright, and allows me to see and use it while it's charging. If it's laying flat to charge, it's basically useless during charging. I think "wireless" charging is kind of cool, but overrated. Besides, it's not really wireless. If it could charge at a certain distance from the thing plugged into the wall, we'd have something there...

It's wireless enough. I don't use my phone while it's charging, and I don't like scratching up my phone while trying to plug the phone in. I don't have a case on my phone, and there are no scratches on it anywhere but near the charge port.

Also, Apple could make the wireless charging dock similar to the one used on the Palm Pre, that curved so the phone was at an angle, and could be used much like you'd prefer.

There are options, and i know Apple is exploring some of them, I just hope they stay far FAR away from THIN.

 

[Tech198]

so, Apple needs has EMI shields to protect what what otherwise cause *more* interference in single chip, than two separate that are spaced apart on the board... but said that are (reducing)

I fail to see how *less* interference can be true in a single chip design.. Wouldn't there be more interference due to being placed in a single chip unless u have these EMI shields which since external to the chip would only protect the user. ? Particularly with RF.

 

[now i see it]

We'll never get significantly longer battery life ever. Clearly a design spec was agreed upon by the engineers that the phone should run such and such hours.

The iPhone 6S got a smaller battery than the 6, yet runtime is the same.

That is what it'll always be.
Apple places more of a premium on size and weight than another hour of run time. It's a design decision (most of us don't agree with).

But Apple has always made frustrating products. Good, but frustrating. You never get what you really want.

 

[cmichaelb]

Patience, my young uns:

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patent...chnology-for-portable-devices-and-beyond.html

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patent...arch-into-solid-state-battery-technology.html
[doublepost=1459490008][/doublepost]Apple should be introducing solid state battery soon

From Patently Apple:

In late November Apple was granted their first patent for a new kind of battery known as the solid-state battery. Such batteries could be used for mobile and wearable devices as well as cars, according to Toyota. Last week we quickly discovered that this single granted patent had now mushroomed into being a a new focused trend with four new patent applications for this next-gen battery on record. Every Apple fan on the planet wants to have longer lasting battery life to keep their iDevices running all day and hopefully for many days without recharging. Whether solid state batteries will be Apple's final answer to our battery woes is unknown at this time, but for those in this field that want to know more about what Apple is thinking about regarding this new technology, check out the following patent Applications that surfaced last week at the US Patent and Trademark Office:



1) Thin Film Battery with Magnetic Components

2) Thin Film Battery Structures Having Sloped Cell Sidewalls

3) Devices And Methods For Reducing Battery Defects, and

4) Thin Film Battery Assemblies

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. I wonder how close this is to real world product. Since Toyota is aiming for 2020, and car sized batteries I would think would be easier to manufacture than small products, do you have have a theory as to a realistic time frame for mobile devices?

 

[name99]

Thinner and lighter instead of improving battery life. Classic.

Uhh, you guys. These packaging advances DO lead to longer battery life. Driving IOs costs a lot of power; the smaller the IOs can be made, and the closer chips can be placed to each other, the less power is required.

Tech details of what is being done are here:
http://www.appliedmaterials.com/nan...tions/december-2015/fan-out-is-a-game-changer

At some point this will likely also be used to create high bandwidth RAM stacks and connect directly to the SoC (somewhat like HMC or HBM), though maybe not in time for the iPhone 7. It is, however, interesting to note that the rumors are that A10 will be only on TSMC, and TSMC seems to be a whole lot more advanced than Samsung when it comes to this integrated fan out packaging, which suggests that Apple has plans for it relevant to the SoC, not just the RF subsystem.

As for the constant carping about thinness vs battery life, give it a freaking rest. Some of us like thin phones. If you prioritize battery life over thinness, you do realize there's a solution --- buy a damn battery cover. But don't force your preferences on everyone else and then claim you're doing the world a favor.

 

[ColdShadow]

It is not that bad, it is definitely a nice looking phone, but yeah, nothing more. I agree, it's hard to live up to the legacy of the iPhone 4. Sometimes I still catch a few in people's hands on the subway (without a case) and always say to myself: damn this thing still looks beautiful.

I know it's completely subjective, but my rating on a scale of 1 to 10 for iPhones design-wise wold look like this:

iPhone 2G: 8
iPhone 3G/3GS: 7
iPhone 4/4S: 10
iPhone 5: 9
iPhone 5S: 8.5
iPhone 6/6S: 7

(I suspect this year's iPhone will be a "8" )

Let me know about your opinion. ; )

iPhone 4/4S: 10/10
iPhone 5: 8.5/10
iPhone 5S/SE: 10/10
iPhone 6/6S: 6/10

 

[dampfnudel]

Why even call it the iPhone 7?
Should be iPhone 6SS.
The antenna lines are different, yawn...
Can't they come up with something new, design-wise?

Based on the rumors, they will next year.

 

[Da Hurdler]

Eventually they'll be so thin they'll need to include a suction cup in the box to pick the damn things up

lol lol

 

[69650]

This isn't going to regenerate flagging iPhone sales.

What are they going to say in their ads. "Ok so we said last year the iPhone 6s was totally different to the iPhone 6 even though they looked the same. The iPhone 7 is really really different to the last one and the one before even though it still looks the same. It even has a new hideous colour option to make it look even more femine than it did before".

 

[emulator]

This is by far the thinnest phone I've used. Enough with the thinness and give me more tech options. The wireless charger for the GS7 is actually kind of nice. Not for everyone, but it'd be nicer than that silly dock.

What's funny wireless charging is ancient tech, even Palm and the HP Touchpad had it.

 

[lysingur]

1) iPod Not the first mp3 player.
2) Graphical User Interface - borrowed from Xerox. THEN the next entry on this list was a whole decade later!
3) iMac - Candy-colored cases are an innovation?
4) iTunes - seriously?
5) Mac OS X - it's a Unix front end
6) iPhone - not all that smart for a "smart phone" when it first came out
7) Apple Newton -- nine years after the Mac. Is a nine-year gap acceptable for a LEADER in innovation? If so, then the inclusion of the Apple Watch on this list means you need to wait until at least 2024 before you can credibly claim that Apple innovative days are in the past. Assuming Apple doesn't innovate in the meantime.
8) Apple II -- just four months before the Commodore PET.
9) Keynotes -- Come on! In 1933, we witnessed the unveiling of Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!
10) MacBook Air -- Thinner! (I thought we hated thinner.)
11) iPad. It's just a big iPhone, without the phone.
12) Apple Watch. So Apple's days of being a leader in innovation ended a little less than a year ago. You're sure there's nothing in the pipeline?

So I guess according to your logic, a car is just a glorified moped, a moped a bicycle with an engine, a bicycle a unicycle with another wheel, and a unicycle a seat with a wheel underneath?

Well, I think you just invented a new fallacy.

iPhone was definitely an innovation since nobody was doing keyless multitouch phones before it came out.

Just because the underlying architecture is A doesn't mean B(a) isn't an innovation. This is again a logical error on your part.

Something that is better put together should be considered an innovation. I had this debate long ago with colleagues of mine when Steve Jobs passed. Your definition of innovation is probably more akin to that of "invention", which rarely applies in the consumer tech world.

The genius of Steve Jobs is that he can't write programs and that he doesn't know as much about hardware as an engineer but he knows how things "should" fit together. The reasons that you claim iPhone, Mac OS X, iMac and iPad are *not* an innovation are the very reasons that they are - so simply obvious to the point of being so obviously simple (that people should have thought of it before).

I agree with you on Apple Watch and a few other items on the list though, despite the cynic undertone.

 

[doelcm82]

Something that is better put together should be considered an innovation. I had this debate long ago with colleagues of mine when Steve Jobs passed. Your definition of innovation is probably more akin to that of "invention", which rarely applies in the consumer tech world.

I actually agree with this.

I agree with you on Apple Watch and a few other items on the list though, despite the cynic undertone.

I actually disagree on the Apple Watch. It's certainly a better-put-together smart watch.

My post was tongue in cheek. I think when you look at Apple's products and claim that something like the Apple Watch, or Apple Pay or Touch ID, or 3D touch, or Live Photos, or the Apple Pencil DON'T qualify as innovation, then you put the rest of Apple's innovations into question.

For Apple to have EVER been a "leader in innovation" they would have had had an impressive list of innovations coming at a fast and furious pace. For those days to be "long gone", the list would have to have dropped precipitously. You have to be able to defend why a bigger-screened iPhone (the iPad) is innovative, but a new method for taking high quality photos using two cell-phone cameras instead of just one (rumored to be coming in the next iPhone) is not innovative.

 

[lysingur]

For Apple to have EVER been a "leader in innovation" they would have had had an impressive list of innovations coming at a fast and furious pace. For those days to be "long gone", the list would have to have dropped precipitously.

Maybe you should name your leader in innovation in the consumer tech market, then we'll have an actual discussion.

Measuring Apple up against your own definition of "leader in innovation" is not only unhelpful but probably constitutes some kind of circular reasoning.

 

[doelcm82]

Maybe you should name your leader in innovation in the consumer tech market, then we'll have an actual discussion.

Measuring Apple up against your own definition of "leader in innovation" is not only unhelpful but probably constitutes some kind of circular reasoning.

No need. You've come full circle already.

 

[lysingur]

No need. You've come full circle already.

I can't say it's a negative knowing when to stop. Good day.