iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Again Rumored to Feature Smart Connector, but No Stereo Speakers or Thinner Design

[mantan]

Sounds like you need to run Apple diagnostics on your phone from the support website or take it in for repair. Your issues aren't normal and everyone doesn't experience that.

I took it to the Apple Store. They confirmed the GPS wasn't working (couldn't locate us there in the store.) They ran diagnostics and their big fix was the to wipe the phone and load it as new. That failed to fix either problem.

Now the fix is a $299 replacement or buying a new phone.

I spent the money on a Garmin instead.

 

[1Zach1]

So why did you upgrade from the 5s to the 6? Just because of a slightly larger screen?

Wireless charging at a distance is sci-fi right now.

Slightly larger screen? It's nearly 40% more screen area. I also wasn't coming from the 5s I was coming from the HTC X+ that I needed an upgrade from.

 

[stevemiller]

This of course is just my opinion of unsubstantiated rumours, but everything about this phone registers between "meh" and "yuck"

 

[Tycho24]

Included adapter? Apple hasn't included anything but their 3.5mm headphones since about the iPhone 3G...

Well...
None of us know for sure but since we're obviously commenting on rumors; that's the rumor .

From a logic standpoint, here it is: we are talking about the most profitable product (in a VERY small batch), from the most profitable company on the planet- if you think they won't include an adapter that will likely cost them scant pennies, to eliminate backlash from a bold business decision... I don't know what to say.

 

[576316]

There has to be other idea for the Smart Connector than a Smart Keyboard.

Maybe they are designing a cool and functional case. But its not going to have a keyboard.

A charging case that doesn't use the lightning port? Or maybe other accessories such as Health related ones. Who knows.
[doublepost=1460586401][/doublepost]Snore. Apple releases the same iPhone...again. What happened to a complete redesign every few years?!

 

[Bodygard]

This can be real but just a prototype...they do a lot of tests you know? lol

 

[mejsric]

Stop using that fake photo of iPhone 7

This is the non edited.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16...firms-upcoming-pro-6-posts-photos-to-prove-it

 

[512ke]

I had one of the very first iPhones. You couldn't use a regular headset with it because the plug had to be extra long to work. I didn't like that feature one bit. I like being able to buy inexpensive headphones, use them til they wear out, and then buy another pair in the cheap.

 

[seatton]

As long as they offer this in rose gold, count me in. My iPhone 6 Plus is getting old and the battery is acting up. Time for an upgrade no matter how ugly the iPhone 7 is.

 

[DMVillain]

If this is the next iPhone, the numbering system as we know it was left in 2015. Nothing so far (other than history) suggests that this phone is a significant redesign, so it may not be the "7". Maybe this is simply the new iPhone (and iPhone Plus or Pro), while the 10th anniversary iPhone in 2017 becomes the X or whatever.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

The smart connector should be used for wireless charging

 

[Col4bin]

So basically a spec-bumped iPhone 6S?

 

[ZMacintosh]

There has to be other idea for the Smart Connector than a Smart Keyboard.

Maybe they are designing a cool and functional case. But its not going to have a keyboard.

a better battery pack case then the current one, inductive charging perhaps too..

 

[EvilEvil]

Apple holding back essential features once again.

 

[Black Magic]

I took it to the Apple Store. They confirmed the GPS wasn't working (couldn't locate us there in the store.) They ran diagnostics and their big fix was the to wipe the phone and load it as new. That failed to fix either problem.

Now the fix is a $299 replacement or buying a new phone.

I spent the money on a Garmin instead.

Next time get AppleCare+.

 

[cdm283813]

That protruding camera outline is just ugly. No other way to say it.

When I see those 3 dots all I see is $$$. This phone is going to start at 32GB but cost $800 plus.

And the design is stale. Barely anything changed.

 

[Col4bin]

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the iPhone 6SS!

 

[subzero123]

So not thinner and same stupid huge bezels. No thank you

 

[Col4bin]

If we're not getting the extra speaker, how about we keep the headphone jack?

No way, that would interfere with Sir Johnny's thinness obsession.
[doublepost=1460589984][/doublepost]

Amazing how many people on here already assume these leaks are real and complaining about the iPhone 7 as being ugly and boring.

Jesus people, did you ever even stop to think that these night be fake?

Let me help you....they are fake.
[doublepost=1460574671][/doublepost]


Nonsense. I hear the same **** every time Apple drops a legacy connector.

Save you sob stories and move along.......

Are you new here? These leaked April photos turn out to be real EVERY year (well, except for the early iPhone 5 leaks). Hit me back in September if I'm wrong. Which I won't be.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

I think my days of buying iPhones on a regular basis for the sake of features is over. I used to upgrade every year. My wife got the 6s to replace her 5s, but I kept my 6. Until the 6 gets laggy and busted on me I doubt I'll buy a new iPhone.

It would have to be waterproof, have a virtually shatterproof screen, or a huge jump in battery life plus wireless charging for me to spend the money on it. Maybe I'll grab the 7s if this thing (the 6) has finally had it.

Note: I use a Sony A6000 for when I really want picture.

 

[oddbob]

I really need dual stereo speakers...

 

[Peter Z]

Though the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus aren't coming out until the fall of 2016, rumors and alleged part leaks have already divulged many details about the prospective features of the device. In March, a photo of a device said to be the iPhone 7 Plus surfaced on a Chinese website, and a rendering supposedly sourced from Apple manufacturer Catcher Technology featured the design of the iPhone 7.

There's no way to confirm whether these images are legitimate depictions of Apple's upcoming devices, but this morning, Japanese site Mac Otakara shared a report that corroborates many of the rumors we've heard and shares some new details on the features we might see in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.

Mac Otakara says "the possibility is great" that both the image of the iPhone 7 Plus housing and the design sourced from Catcher are "the real thing." The iPhone 7 Plus model featured a dual camera as has been rumored, along with a Smart Connector that Mac Otakara suggests could be used to accommodate a Smart Keyboard for the iPhone.

Much of the rest of Mac Otakara's report focuses on speculation about the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus based on the supposition that the photos are actual depictions of the two devices, along with a few new tidbits of information thrown in.

Both the iPhone 7 Plus model and the rendering from Catcher show a design that's similar to the design of the iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus, and while previous rumors (including a rumor from Mac Otakara itself) have said the device could be thinner, even approaching the thinness of the 6.1mm iPod touch, Mac Otakara says the device photos suggest there will be little difference in size between the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 6s.

Apple is expected to eliminate the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, and while some rumors have indicated Apple could use the space to introduce dual stereo speakers, Mac Otakara now believes Apple will continue to use a single speaker in the device. The report also includes a mention of Bluetooth-enabled EarPods that connect to the iPhone to charge much like the Apple Pencil.

The larger lens of the rear-facing camera on the iPhone 7 image indicates it will perhaps use a larger sensor, giving it improved camera capabilities despite the fact that it will not include the dual camera layout rumored for the iPhone 7 Plus. Multiple rumors have said dual cameras will be a feature limited to the iPhone 7 Plus.

A final detail in Mac Otakara's report focuses on the potential inclusion of two new sensors at the top of the device, the purpose of which remains unclear. There is a possibility that the two sensors could be related to the display of the device, based on recent speculation from DisplayMate suggesting features included in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro could be a logical inclusion for the iPhone 7.

According to DisplayMate, True Tone display support, which adjusts the display to match the temperature of the ambient lighting in a room, could be added to the iPhone if Apple "upgrades the ambient light sensors so they measure color in addition to brightness."

Many of the details Mac Otakara mentions in its report line up with previous rumors that we've heard. Both the iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus are expected to look a lot like the iPhone 6s, but with redesigned antenna bands that don't span the back of the device. Rumors disagree about the potential thickness of the device, but there could be some improvements made by introducing a thinner display, new chip packing technology, and a slimmed-down Lightning port.

Dual cameras for the iPhone 7 Plus and the elimination of the headphone jack are the most concrete rumors we've heard yet, corroborated multiple times by a variety of sources. As we creep closer to the fall launch date of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, we should begin to get a clearer picture of exactly what features and design changes we can expect to see in the two devices.

Article Link: iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Again Rumored to Feature Smart Connector, but No Stereo Speakers or Thinner Design

 

[djbuddha]

Oh I know what you meant. But that particular adapter did one thing only, it took the same signal, and allowed headphones with plugs too big for the iPhone hole to be used. And I think Apple charged something like $10+ for theirs. It was a completely pointless thing to do, and although there was seemingly a rational explanation for it (Apple was concerned that larger headphones would put too much strain on the connector), the better solution was to re-engineer it so that any headphones could be used.

This is something completely different. Apple is likely introducing new HQ audio capability along with iTunes support, which is one way to spin it. They're probably going to release an industry defining set of bluetooth headphones and earbuds. They're likely going to give away Lightning earbuds that are higher quality than those most people currently use. Adapters will likely enhance the quality of the audio most current users are getting (another marketing point), and Apple will make them reasonably affordable and elegantly styled to be virtually invisible. Lightning headphones will include things like noise cancellation without bulky batteries, and other digital controls not possible with the analogue jack. In other words, so many more options to using the 3.5mm headphone jack than the original iPhone situation. And Apple will have to spin this. And my guess is they will introduce some new exciting feature that they can use to justify reclaiming the space of the old jack.

So yes, there will be some backlash, but isn't there always? You say "Too many people rely on the 3.5mm jack in their phones", but I'll bet Apple has a pretty good idea just how many people that is, and in particular, how many that are using their flagship phones -- because that's all this change initially affects in the first year. And, it might only affect the base 7 customers, and not the Plus customers, thus driving upgrades (though I bet Apple will eliminate it across the lineup to drive wireless adoption). The SE and iPhone 6 will still have 3.5mm jacks for the low end customers who probably use the headphone jacks the most because they can't afford BlueTooth headphones, much less new high end headphones. But the high end Flagship customers may not be as attached to them.

And the backlash may be short lived as other phone makers start dropping the headphone jack to make room for other features too in order to stay competitive with Apple, at least at the flagship level. So Apple sort of has this covered for the people who absolutely can't afford to make the transition -- and there's yet another explanation for the cheapest iPhone Apple ever offered also being almost as functionally featured as the most expensive phone. And for everyone else, it may not be that big of a deal. Certainly not as big a deal as having to buy an adapter simply because their plug wouldn't fit.

I understood all that with my comment lol. I'll rephrase sorry;

Apple had to respond to the recessed 3.5mm jack. I know the benefits of the Lightning port and all the new audio delivery now available with it. I deal with pro audio daily, so I'm not against the idea.

I'm saying for the people who don't know better, who honestly represent a much higher percentage of the install base Apple goes after vs me or you and our respective interests and preferences. I sometimes think that Apple is a little too aggressive when they make changes to phase things out. The alternative would have been to sell lightning accessories like headphones now (and even for the last year) at an attractive price point and promote the benefits of sound quality to ease the customer into the inevitability of the 3.5mm port disappearing.

I think the backlash could have been tempered with a strategy like this. Instead, we're going to have the long debated lightning vs 3.5mm discussion all over again in September, instead with a lot of people complaining from shock, rather than observing the change as innovative.

The car kit argument I understand to a point, but a lightning to 3.5mm adapter will solve that. A new car down the road with bluetooth audio will solve that eventually as people get new vehicles as they need to. (It's pretty standard these days). Not to mention aftermarket options as well.

 

[Peter Z]

I think what ming-chi kuo says is way more credible than what some people on a japanese tech forum say. He said it will be thinner they say it won't. It's likely he's right and they're wrong. This might still be the real phone on that leaked pic, but it doesn't show how thin it will be.

 

[kwikdeth]

Well...
None of us know for sure but since we're obviously commenting on rumors; that's the rumor .

From a logic standpoint, here it is: we are talking about the most profitable product (in a VERY small batch), from the most profitable company on the planet- if you think they won't include an adapter that will likely cost them scant pennies, to eliminate backlash from a bold business decision... I don't know what to say.

normally, i would agree with your logic. However, this is 2016 Apple, and any kind of lightning accessory is going to be an extra cost item. they'll include a pair of earbuds with a lightning connector and for the rest, you're on your own. expect a decent markup on said "scant pennies" adapter.

i would also expect a moderate amount of backlash that may or may not goad them into including it with the phone at a later date.