iPhone 7 May Feature Flush Camera, Stereo Speakers and Thinner Lightning Port

[blairh]

I'm probably in the minority here but I really want the iPhone to get thinner and lighter. I'm really happy if this all ends up happening.

I also really want a louder speaker. Perhaps the second one will help in that regard. Dual front facing would have been better.

I'm surprised the footprint will stay the same. Maybe in 2018 we will see less bezel and no home button.

Only real shame here is no waterproofing.

 

[ignatius345]

Cool. We get some minor design tweaks while Samsung has a WATER RESISTANT PHONE. If Android wasn't such a cluster*** and iOS wasn't great and tied into my other devices, I'd be thinking a lot harder about my upgrade options...

 

[DynaFXD]

Looks like its time to jump ship....

Nah. I imagine that only the most casual iPhone users would consider that, and that is no real loss to Apple. The rest of us are just too invested in the Apple ecosystem, and that attachment (Apple pay, music/app sales, other hardware) is where the real money lies. Having said that, the interest in upgrading is not what it once was, to me at least. Between my iP6 and Apple Watch, I have not yet seen anything that is compelling me to wake up a midnight to place an order for the 7. I can wait it out for the need to arise rather just the want.......

 

[512ke]

I would like thinner and better speakers...

...but not enough to convince me to buy a new phone.

Obviously there will be novelty as well in the 7.

 

[apolloa]

"So they are going to add new features"
Correct.


"give it a new interface port"
No, the lighting port remains untouched, read the article.


"remove the only industry standard port it had"
Correct.


"and make it thinner and thereby reduce the battery size."
Not necessarily. iPhones have got progressively thinner yet the battery size (and battery life) has progressively increased.

I do believe the battery life has not increased a lot in real life usage, every iPhone 6S review states the battery life is not able to go a full day. Plus Apple launched the awful looking iPhone 6S case with built in battery pack, that sums up their attitude to poor battery life.

 

[ChrisCW11]

Well, if Apple mucks up even a single iPhone release, it will drop the company's stock very quickly. We have already seen what can happen with just missing the mark on one quarter of iPhone's sales numbers, what would happen if Apple succeeded in releasing an iPhone nobody wanted all because Tim Cook can't stop Jony Ives obsession about making everything ridiculously thin and full of compromises?

Let's put it this way. Eliminating an audio port and coming out with a phone with poorer battery life will do more to reduce sales and confidence in Apple then what a phone that is 1 mm thinner could hope to gain for Apple. I don't see people clamboring for a thinner iPhone, but I see a LOT of reaction from consumers about losing a headphone port.

 

[Soccertess]

Why? Do you charge your phone through the headphone jack?

No. But if you think of it logically, Apple will most likely develop it's own wireless protocol like Ossia Cota or something. Something that charges from at least a couple of feet (as rumors have suggested)

By extension, if phones get wireless charging, so could headphones. And if I had wireless charging headphones, the benefits would out weigh most of the benefits of plugging it in.

And Audio audiophiles who want to plug it in can just get an adapter. But 90% of the world would move to wireless headphones.

 

[DoctorTech]

Flush camera would be great. Stereo would be nice but not a high priority for me. I would rather have a slightly bigger battery than a slightly thinner design.

 

[garirry]

Sorry, but your enthusiasm for stereo speakers on an iPhone totally discredits your outrage over losing the 3.5mm jack.

Uh, what? Even though I'm pissed at the loss of the 3.5mm jack, stereo speakers is a great addition for Apple. How are these two even related?

 

[FrozenDarkness]

a lot of people are mentioning that they think apple will go to the laptop cycle where a complete redesign is unnecessary every 2 years. think about this, apple wants the phone upgrade cycle to be every 2 years while laptops may be every 4 every 6 years. if apple does't come out with a complete redesign where people can see that this is the newest iphone, they would miss the mark not because people jump to android, but because people just won't upgrade. the pressure is on.

 

[Tomal]

they will obviously change the design. They do it all the time with the major number releases.

 

[konart]

Glad to see Apple leading the way with innovations like stereo sound.

Yeah, hello from HTC One w7

Why would anyone consider removing 3,5 jack to make the phone even thinner a good idea? Not only this will be deal breaker for many - the phone is stupidly thin already...

 

[spinedoc77]

I'm ALL for a thinner phone, especially seeing how awesome the 6s+ battery life is compared to other phablets. But I think they should concentrate more energy on reducing the bezel size and overall screen to phone ratio. I think a smaller phone with the same screen size will go much farther in increasing aesthetics and functionality.

 

[Mac 128]

LOL at no headphone jack. Hello Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, my new phone.

So what are you going to do when the Galaxy S8 drops the headphone jack too? Apple isn't doing this arbitrarily to force customers to Samsung. They're doing it because they've hit a wall with internal space. And if that's true so has Samsung.

If the "stereo speakers" are going to be both on the bottom - It's a TOTAL waste. Apple is WAY behind on speakers already (see HTC the last 4 years)...

How is it not a waste even if they are on the opposite ends? The speaker quality is simply not high enough for spatial separation to make a difference. If you're doing something on the phone where stereo separation is an actual a concern, then headphones are going to be the solution, not a second low-quality speaker that's only going to annoy those around you, and take up unnecessary space with no significant gain on a device where every cubic millimeter is precious.

Uh, what? Even though I'm pissed at the loss of the 3.5mm jack, stereo speakers is a great addition for Apple. How are these two even related?

They are directly related. Why exactly do you think they are removing the jack, just to arbitrarily upset you? If they remove the jack, they remove it to make room for something else, bigger battery, new features, tech improvements, etc. If they remove it just to add a second low-quality "stereo" speaker, which will have little if any positive impact in the average customer's user experience, but a significant negative on the trade off, then that is a frivolous reason to remove the 3.5mm jack. So to the extent you cheer the addition of a second "stereo" speaker, you do so at the cost of the anger you express over the loss of the 3.5mm jack. You can't have both, so pick the one that's most important to you. If you chose stereo speaker, I guarantee you will be in the minority.

 

[KPandian1]

My biggest complaint about the iPhone has always been the speakers, this enhancement alone is a major leap forward, hope it's true.

No - it is not a car or home audio console!

3X4 at best and you want listening "experience"?

Low expectations of your audio product! Carry a 80's boombox and break-dance.

 

[garirry]

They are directly related. Why exactly do you think they are removing the jack, just to arbitrarily upset you? If they remove the jack, they remove it to make room for something else, bigger battery, new features, tech improvements, etc. If they remove it just to add a second low-quality "stereo" speaker, which will have little if any positive impact in the average customer's user experience, but a significant negative on the trade off, then that is a frivolous reason to remove the 3.5mm jack. So to the extent you cheer the addition of a second "stereo" speaker, you do so at the cost of the anger you express over the loss of the 3.5mm jack. You can't have both, so pick the one that's most important to you. If you chose stereo speaker, I guarantee you will be in the minority.

How can you bring this sort of talk into this? What makes you assume that I have to "choose" which one I have to prefer, a headphone jack or stereo speakers? I was angry that the headphone jack was removed, and I still kinda am, but now I'm a bit happier to hear that at least we're getting stereo speakers. What's wrong with having different emotions for related things?

 

[Jsameds]

I do believe the battery life has not increased a lot in real life usage, every iPhone 6S review states the battery life is not able to go a full day. Plus Apple launched the awful looking iPhone 6S case with built in battery pack, that sums up their attitude to poor battery life.

I dunno, the iPhone battery life as it is is good enough for most, because most iPhone users don't use a battery case, but that's not to say it shouldn't be better.

I don't ever think we'll see the day when battery cases have three million preorders, though..

 

[Tomal]

anyways i want better camera at the regular size and better battery. S7 is quite tempting. I will switch sides again to android if they dont bring the innovation forward.

 

[BruceEBonus]

Flush camera? Bring it on, baby! Stereo micro speakers? Why not! Thinner yet pointless lightning port? This is what they want! When it comes to being second place now in the smartphone stakes, Apple is clearly the front line winner! Back of the net!

 

[LovingTeddy]

This is why Trump is leading in the polls. Nobody bothers to pay attention to details, or takes the time to comprehend anything they read.

Or perhaps it's just that people wake up in the morning looking for an excuse to get angry at Apple.


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But do you know that it does have a better battery life? I think the OP's point was that Samsung and other Android manufacturers have been known in the past for throwing hardware specs at the fact that they don't do a very good job of optimizing their devices from a firmware/software/efficiency standpoint, and that no matter the power of the hardware they don't perform any better (and usually not as good as) the iPhone.

I don't know if S7 gets better battery life, becuase I haven't used it. BUT I do know iPhone's battery life sucked (iPhone 6S) and I also know my Mot X Style has great battery life and also with my Moto X Play.

And your claim: "no matter the power of the hardware they don't perform any better (and usually not as good as) the iPhone." Is simply flase. My Moto X Style, Moto X Play and Nexus 6P are just as fast as iPhone is not faster.

 

[nviz22]

When you guys read about "protruding cameras," do you guys think anything of it? Like laziness? Or trying to maximize profits? Or technology isn't where it should be to make quick and swift decisions? Or you guys have different perspectives that you want to share? I honestly have no opinion on protruding cameras, except they're an eyesore.

 

[Burger Thing]

The picture you posted have nothing to do with the connector itself, but with the cable and the way it was managed...
I could show you a lot of 3,5mm jack ruined cables....

A 3.5 mm connector has a huge advantage over lightning: it can be rotated when you have your headphones attached and carry your phone in the pocket. That fact alone will make your headphone cable last longer in comparison over lightning.

 

[Mac 128]

A 3.5 mm connector has a huge advantage over lightning: it can be rotated when you have your headphones attached and carry your phone in the pocket. That fact alone will make your headphone cable last longer in comparison over lightning.

I guarantee your 3.5mm headphone connector has never rotated while in your pocket -- the cable twisted instead, thus putting more strain on it. If your 3.5mm connector was loose enough to rotate in your pocket, then you would have known by how poor the audio connection was with static and dropouts from not making a good connection.

 

[TT D'arby]

Glad to see Apple leading the way with innovations like stereo sound.

even funnier is that so many people took this seriously and got upset.....folks here need to leave there parents basement more often and get outside!

 

[LauraJean]

Am I the only one who plugs speakers into the 3.7 jack into all my Apple devices to simply be able to hear well music, videos, and audiobooks? I do not like headphones or buds pushed into my ears, which admittedly are 71 years old.