iPhone 7 Announcement: What to expect & where to watch
Apple are set to announce the latest iPhone tonight, along with a raft of updates to Apple Watch, iOS and MacOS.
The rumor mill has been churning for months about that we can expect from an updated device, and whilst we wont know anything for sure until it’s announced, we’ve put together some of the things you can expect.
The design
It’s been almost 9 years since Apple first unveiled the first iPhone and with a ‘big’ update on the cards for their ’10 years of iPhone’ next year, every rumor we've heard suggests this device will look very similar to the current iPhone 6S.
There has been some confusion about exactly how many phones are coming out today. At one point it looked like there might be a regular and a Plus variant as usual, and a higher-speed Pro variant. Recent reports however, seem to indicate the usual strategy of two phones - the normal and Plus versions.
We’re likely to get subtle changes to the placement of antennas bands on the back of the device, but the biggest physical change will be to the ‘home’ button.
Doing away with a physical press-button, it’s replacement will be a flush, pressure sensitive area that’ll use haptic feedback to simulate pressing a physical button.
Along with improved water resistance, we should also see a new selection of colors, including one rumored to be called ‘space black’.
Say goodbye to the headphone socket!
The biggest news is expected to come from the headphone jack, as Apple ditch traditional headphones in favor of a new all purpose lightning connector. It’ll mean you’ll need to use a new multi-connector to use your traditional 3.5 jack headphones, or use the ‘AirBuds’ that are expected to be included too.
The removal of the jack frees up space in the body for bigger batteries or additional sensors. It’ll also help with aiding water resistance.
Faster, higher res cameras
As with all Apple updates, speed will be key and the refresh should see a sizable 3 GB of RAM included, as well as the lower tier ’16 GB’ version scrapped in favor of 32, 128 and 256GB options. As usual though, no microSD support to be had here.
The cameras appear to have undergone upgrades, as leaked renders have shown both phones sporting protruding cameras that may indicate larger sensors, with the Plus featuring a dual camera setup, another hardware feature that has been gaining popularity recently.
What else?
Along with a new iPhone, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, is also expected to unveil a second-generation Apple Watch, said to include better waterproofing, faster processor and slimmer form.
We should hear when we’ll get the latest version of iOS, MacOS, TVos and AppleWatchOS, all of which have been in beta testing for the last 4 months.
Fancy watching the live video stream for yourself? Apple will be streaming the event from 6pm UK time on their website - http://www.apple.com/apple-events/september-2016/