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Multiple leaks agree on the final design for the iPhone 7

July 21, 2016 1 Comment

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As we saw in the months leading up to the iPhone 6 announcement in 2014, we knew exactly what Apple planned to announce. Components of iPhone first started to leak, then the redesigned chassis came out, and by the time of the announcement, we had full phones. It appears that the iPhone 7 is following the same trend. In a series of a reports, we have the rear shell design for the next-generation iPhone in every color and they confirm previous rumors.

 

The leaks confirm rumors for the final design of the iPhone 7. Like the iPhone 6s, the rear shell is made of 7000 series aluminum with curved edges, a protruding camera, and antenna lines. The camera will still protrude from the phone, but it has a much smoother design and it is part of the frame. Additionally, the camera is roughly 25% larger and it is much closer to the left side like the iPod touch.  The rear shell has antenna lines, but they are limited to the top and bottom edges. The bottom of the phone also no longer has a headphone jack, but it appears to have a second speaker. Previously we saw CAD renderings of the inside of the frame and they showed that the innermost hole where the headphone jack used to be is reserved for the microphone. The other holes will be for the speaker.

 

multiple leaks agree

The top left shows the most consistent design (likely the final design), the top right shows the right angle antenna line, bottom left shows a tapered, and we aren’t sure what we see on the bottom right.

 

There have been two versions of the iPhone 7 leaked, but only one version is the true design while the other is a fake. It important to notice the subtle distinction which separates the two. Looking at the antenna lines, they start on the edge and curve up or down before extending across the back. This is for the real iPhone 7. There was also a design leaked that show the antenna line starting on the edge and immediately with a right angle moved up and across the back of the phone. The right angle is something that is achieved with Photoshop by using the iPhone 6s and removing two of the antenna lines. Even beyond this, we have seen tapered designs and a we-have-no-idea-what’s-going-on design.




The iPhone 7 will come in the same colors as the iPhone 6s, according to the reports we have read. Earlier this summer, rumors suggested a new color for the iPhone, either a darker space gray or a blue, but it appears that these are not part of the final design. It is likely that Apple will update their color lineup next year with the completely redesigned iPhone 8.

The iPhone 7 is expected to be announced at a special media event in mid-September alongside the next-generation version of the Apple Watch.

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iPhone 7 battery will be larger with little impact on battery life

July 19, 2016 0 Comments

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Apple will do everything in their engineering power to keep the iPhone at a consistent battery life even with new technology that drains the battery. A new rumor comes out via Twitter that suggests the iPhone 7 will have a larger battery capacity, but this is likely meaningless with the updates that are expected on the new iPhone.

According to Steve Hemmerstoffer of Nowhereelse.fr (or @OnLeaks on Twitter), the iPhone 7 battery capacity will be 1960mAh. This is a 14.2% increase in battery capacity from the iPhone 6s (1715mAh) and a 8.3% increase from the iPhone 6 (1810mAh). Typically Apple will increase the capacity from generation-to-generation like they did with the iPhone 5s to the iPhone 6, but the iPhone 6 to iPhone 6s saw a decrease. Apple was still able to achieve the same battery life despite this with a more power efficient processor. The 3D Touch display and 4K video recording definitely draws more power but the processor could counteract it.

battery life

The iPhone 7 battery will be 14.2% larger than the iPhone 6s, image: iFixit

The next question is what impact will this increase in battery capacity have on the iPhone 7: likely no impact. The absence of the headphone will allow the battery to grow vertically which means a larger overall battery, but the absence of the headphone jack means the phone will rely on Bluetooth and Lightning for audio (plus there is a second speaker now). Bluetooth drains battery even if the iPhone does have the power-efficient Bluetooth 4.2. This is a small amount and likely not the issue, though.

The main power drainer will be the Lightning port used for headphones. Noise-cancelling headphones previously used their own battery pack for power but this is no longer needed if they rely on the iPhone’s battery. Their battery pack also made the headphones much thicker. When the headphones connect to the phone via the Lightning port, they can draw power from the phone and the battery pack can be removed. Apple does note that third-party accessory manufacturers are limited to how much power they can draw from the iPhone, but this likely only applies to the MFi-certified accessories.



The new A10 processor is rumored to be more power-efficient, which is expected of a tenth generation processor, but Apple has yet to release a phone that does not have a headphone jack to rely on for audio. The processor will hopefully decrease the power used from the new technology so Apple can achieve the same battery life on their new iPhone. They have had ten years to refine their craft and make the best processor, however, an iPhone without a headphone jack is brand new for them. They are limiting users by forcing them to rely on either wireless via Bluetooth or wired via the Lightning port for their primary source of audio. Regardless of what the technology will do though, Apple will miraculously achieve the same battery life on the iPhone 7. If this rumor is true, which @OnLeaks claims their source is reliable but not perfect, Apple has calculated that a 14% increase is all we need.

The iPhone 7 will be announced in September alongside the iPhone 7 Plus and perhaps the iPhone 7 Pro. It will have the same overall design as the iPhone 6s with less antenna lines, a still-protruding rear camera, and a minimum 32GB storage capacity.

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iPhone 7 CAD renderings reveal new details about phone’s design

July 6, 2016 0 Comments

iPhone 7 CAD
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On Wednesday, several CAD renderings were posted online by Nowhereelse.fr that show the rear case for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Instead of our normal “this is what we are looking at,” we wanted to analyze the rear shell for further insight about what to expect with the new phone. We are uniquely in the iPhone repair and Apple news/rumors blogging business so we have a deeper understanding of the ins and outs of the iPhone.

iPhone 7 CAD

The iPhone 7 is leaked in a new CAD drawing, via Nowhereelse.fr

Initially we see what all the other rumors have been saying. The antenna bands are limited to the top and bottom edge, the rear protruding camera has a ring built into the case instead of it being a separate component, it is also closer to the left edge and much larger, the headphone jack is replaced with another speaker grill, and the larger 5.5″ iPhone 7 has a dual rear camera.

iPhone 7 CAD

iPhone 7 top of rear case

When we look at the rear shell, we notice several design changes on the inside that gives us some ideas about what the iPhone will look like. Pictured above is the top of the rear case for the iPhone 7. The camera hole is much larger and closer to the edge, as we have already mentioned, but Apple has also removed a larger chunk of metal on the corner to allow this to happen as compared to the iPhone 6/6s. Our concern is for the lack of reinforcement now in the corners. With the camera being so close to the edge, will this cause it to absorb more of the impact when the iPhone is dropped? The camera hole is also lower than it was previously. There is an extra hole at the top of the case which is not there on the iPhone 6s. This could potentially be the location of one of the two rumored new sensors, or just another screw hole. Additionally, there are grooves in the top for the display to slide in like we see on the iPhone 6s. This allows the phone to open like the glass display is on a hinge.

iPhone 7 CAD

iPhone 7 bottom of the rear case

The bottom of the rear case shows a similar design to the iPhone 6s with less metal and more speaker holes. Like the top of the case, there is less metal in the corners. There are also a lot less screw holes, which could signify larger components are covering the old screw locations like a larger battery, or Apple is investing into using more adhesive. Let us hope it is not the latter. On both sides of the Lightning hole there are six speaker holes. The phone was previously rumored to have monaural speaker system meaning two speakers putting out the same sound, but it is hard to imagine with the renderings we are looking at. There is a screw hole in the middle of the speaker holes on the left side. This screw is mostly likely to hold the plastic component that pushes the lower microphone against the frame. Unless Apple is redesigning the speakers, the current speaker would not fit in this small space and still have access to all the holes.



 

Everything else looks fairly similar. The iPhone 7 will look like the iPhone 6s with upgraded internal components, a slight change in the rear case, and a updated display with a touchpad Home button. The iPhone 7 is expected to be announced at a special media event in mid-September alongside the Apple Watch 2.

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Another design change on iPhone 7: no physical Home button

July 1, 2016 1 Comment

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While the exterior of the iPhone 7 is rumored to be similar to the iPhone 6s, the Home button may be getting a complete redesign. According to a few sources, the button will be less a button and more of a touchpad. Apple is rumored to use their Force Touch technology to simulate a physical click.

iPhone 7: no physical home button

This previously leaked picture shows the iPhone 7 with a flat Home button, via mobipicker.com

According to Cowen and Company (an analyst company) and 9to5Mac, Apple will be removing the physical mechanism of the Home button and replacing the entire system with a touchpad. To simulate the sensation of the button being pressed, the iPhone will use haptic feedback from Apple’s Force Touch technology. This new button will take out the moving parts of the previous Home buttons, which can break, and it will increase the waterproofness of the phone. When the Home button is currently pressed, a gap is created between the glass and the button as it separates from the display. With the new Home button, there will be no gap created.

An issue that may come up with the new button, as 9to5Mac points out, is that the button can fail since it is not a physical button. Functions like resetting the phone rely on two physical buttons. If the Home button is replaced with a touchpad, Apple will need to use two other buttons to reset the phone.



This rumor matches up with a previously leaked photo (above) that showed the iPhone 7 with a flat touchpad Home button. It also matches up with iOS 10’s mechanism for unlocking the iPhone. The iPhone is now unlocked by “pressing” on the Home button instead of swiping to unlock.

The iPhone 7 is expected to be announced at a special media event in September. It will come in three models (iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 7 Pro), with less antenna bands on the rear shell, a larger front and rear camera, and no headphone jack.

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New color rumored for iPhone 7: Space Black

July 1, 2016 1 Comment

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While the iPhone 7 is adding up to underwhelming since it will look very similar to last year’s model, Apple is apparently working on a new color for the phone. According to Macotakara, a Japanese blog, the phone will come in a space black which will be a darker version of space gray and closely match the Apple Watch.

space black

iPhone 7 envisioned in space black, via Martin Hajek

The space black will be a much darker version of space gray and will potentially replace this color. Macotakara‘s report does not go into detail about how dark the new color is, but Martin Hajek, a popular iPhone concept designer, released a few 3D renderings of the new color. He envisioned a phone with a black aluminum rear shell, black front glass, and dark gray antenna lines.

space black

via 9to5Mac

There are several colors of space gray currently in Apple’s lineup. They range from a light gray with the iPhone 6s to a dark gray for the iPad Air. The new space black color will hopefully bring consistency to Apple’s devices with a simple black aluminum shell.

The blog also previously reported a deep blue color of the upcoming iPhone 7, but their source claimed that this is no longer the case. Apple has decided to release a darker space gray color instead of a blue.

The iPhone 7 is expected to be announced at a special media event in September. It will come with a similar design to the iPhone 6s with slight variations in the front display, rear camera size and placement, and the speaker system. For more on the iPhone 7, click here.



 

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WSJ: iPhone 7 will be iPhone 6s without headphone jack

June 24, 2016 1 Comment

iPhone 7 Release Date
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The Wall Street Journal has inside access with all things Apple and they just released a report about the upcoming iPhone 7. The phone, according to their sources, will be similar to the iPhone 6s, but it will have the controversial change in design that has been rumored for months.

iPhone 7 will be iPhone 6s

iPhone 7 design concept without headphone jack, via Forbes

Citing people familiar with Apple’s plans, the iPhone 7 will closely resemble the iPhone 6s minus the headphone jack. It will have a thinner design (up to 1mm thinner) with more water resistance. The Lightning port will have two responsibilities: charging the phone and connecting to headphones. The report did not mention details about the rumored wireless charging feature, but we hope Apple will add it so their customers will not have to choose between playing music or charging their phone.

The report also shares information about why Apple is not refreshing their iPhone this year like they have done for major number generations in previous years. China-based engineers questioned this at a recent sales meeting and one of the sources told the WSJ that Apple said they were working on new technology that needed time to develop. They were likely referring to the rumored major reset on the iPhone that is coming out next year.

Next-year’s iPhone is currently in the design stage so these details may change, but Apple is currently leaning towards a cleaner form. The 2017 iPhone will have an OLED display like the Apple Watch with an embedded Touch ID sensor. The bezels will also decrease in size and potentially be nonexistent.

iPhone 7 will be iPhone 6s

Apple won’t be changing the EarPods this year despite the iPhone change, via iTechdeals

In addition to the WSJ report, Macotakara shared details about how this change will affect the in-box EarPods and the speaker system on the phone. The EarPods will be the same as previous generations and still released with the 3.5mm connector. There are no wireless or Lightning EarPods coming in the box this year. Apple will include a 3.5-to-Lightning adapter though. Also, there will be another speaker grill located where the headphone jack was. It will, unfortunately, not be part of a stereo speaker system, but instead a “monaural system.” There will be two places to hear the same speaker.

The iPhone 7 is expected to be announced in September alongside the Apple Watch 2. The phone will have a storage capacity up to 256GB, the A10 processor, and up to 3GB of RAM. Check out everything we know about the iPhone 7.

via The Wall Street Journal and Macotakara



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iPhone 7 display design: larger camera, dual proximity sensor

June 23, 2016 0 Comments

iPhone 7 display
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The iPhone 7 is expected to have a similar design to the iPhone 6s with its rear shell, but a new report claims the front display will help to distinguish the iPhone 7 from the iPhone 6s. Apparently, the proximity sensor, ear speaker, and front camera will all be updated; enough that an iPhone 6s screen protector will not work on the new phone.

iPhone 7 display

The screen protector design for the iPhone 6/6s needs to be updated for the new iPhone 7 display, via Orzly

The report, which was posted on Macotakara, cites accessory suppliers and manufacturers on Alibaba. They claim that the front display for the iPhone 7 will be changed enough that the current screen protectors for the iPhone 6s will not fit. The manufacturers will need to go back to the drawing board. The ear speaker receiver grill and the front camera hole will be slightly larger and the proximity sensor will move from the left of the ear speaker to the right. Additionally, the proximity sensor will be split into two components.




With the current iPhone, the ear speaker receiver grill is actually home to more than just the ear speaker. The speaker takes up about the half the space while the front microphone takes up the other half. By increasing the receiver grill size, Apple may increase the size of the ear speaker, front microphone, or both.

The iPhone 7 is also rumored to have a touch-sensitive surface that will replace the physical Home button. The button will no longer click, which would help the phone be waterproof, but instead be tapped. Users can tap to return to the Home screen, tap and hold for Siri, and double tap for multitasking, for example.

Both of these rumors contradict an earlier report that suggested the iPhone 7 will have the same front display as the iPhone 6s. This report came out when Apple was likely still in the prototype phase for the iPhone 7. Now the iPhone is three months away, Apple is likely ready to start mass production. Check out our expectations roundup for the iPhone 7.

via Macotakara

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Pricing leaked for iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and new iPhone 7 Pro

June 23, 2016 0 Comments

iPhone 7 base model
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While it is expected for Apple to release two versions of their iPhone 7, details about the lineup’s pricing was leaked and revealed there will actually be three models. The 4.7″ iPhone 7 and 5.5″ iPhone 7 Plus are expected, but Apple is also planning to release a 5.5″ iPhone 7 Pro as well.

Pricing leaked

iPhone 7 price lineup, via Pocketnow

The lineup pricing, which was posted first by a Weibo user, claims that Apple will release the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and iPhone 7 Pro. There will be three storage sizes, but what these exactly are was not mentioned. The report just said: base model, middle model, and top-end model. For the iPhone 6s, this means 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. For the iPhone 7, rumors suggest this means 32GB, 64GB, and 256GB and for the iPhone 7 Pro, this likely means 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus pricing will be mostly similar as compared to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will have the same price points as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus for the lower two storage sizes and be a little more expensive for the top-end storage size. Apple has never released three iPhones with the same design before but the leaked picture shows us that we cannot assume the price difference between all three phones will still be $100. For the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the difference is $100. For the iPhone 7 Pro and the iPhone 7 Plus, the difference is $150.

If you covert the yuan to USD, the pricing will be slightly off because of exchange rates and the 20% premium that Apple charges for exporting to other countries. Taking this into account, the pricing is similar to the iPhone 6s lineup.

The iPhone 7 is expected to be similar to the iPhone 6s with the 7000 series aluminum rear shell, curved glass on the front, Touch ID Home button, and the 3D Touch display. For more on the iPhone 7, check out our expectations.

via Weibo and Pocketnow



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Expectations for WWDC 2016: iOS 10, watch OS, tvOS, Apple Pay

June 11, 2016 1 Comment

Expectations for WWDC 2016
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It is that time of year again; a couple of days before Apple’s next special media event where we expect the company to reveal a plethora of new products. The Worldwide Developer’s Conference kicks off on Monday at 10am PDT with a keynote from Tim Cook and company about the latest software updates for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and Mac. Based on what we have heard so far, here are our expectations.

iOS 10

Expectations for WWDC 2016

The tenth generation operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is practically guaranteed to be announced next week. The major software update will bring many new features with a slightly refreshed user interface. For general updates we will see tweaks to icon designs, more colorful notifications, and the San Francisco font in every app. The Music app will be overhauled with more black and white colors, prominent album artwork, updated menu tabs, and 3D Touch shortcuts for the iPhone 6s/6s Plus. The Photos app will receive enhancements with more professional editing tools and Markup functionality. Siri will also be coming to third-party apps with a specially designed Siri SDK. Finally, the software will have a new encryption and security features to protect the data on it.

The iOS 10 update will be released to developers on Monday, to those in the public beta program in July, and to the general public in September.



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watch OS and tvOS

Expectations for WWDC 2016

credit: Engadget

Expectations for WWDC 2016

The next software update for the Apple Watch (watchOS) and the Apple TV (tvOS) is practically guaranteed to be announced too; however, there have been no rumors about what the software will bring. Since the Apple TV (4th generation) and Apple Watch are relatively new products, we will likely see an update for both that polishes their systems. I hope that the Apple Watch will, at the very least, get an update in speed for looking at Glances and opening some apps.

The watchOS and tvOS updates will be released to developers on Monday and to the general public in September.

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OS X

Expectations for WWDC 2016

credit: 9to5Mac

Expectations for WWDC 2016

The next generation operating system for Mac is underway with the biggest features being around the new branding and Siri. Apple has accidentally leaked several times that they will be changing the name from “OS X” to “macOS” or “MacOS.” They have used both names on their website. The actual name for the software is currently unknown, but it will likely be something from Yosemite National Park. This falls in line with other previous OS names, like “Yosemite” and “El Capitan.” Additionally, Siri will be coming to the Mac with the same capabilities she currently has on the iPhone.

The macOS (or MacOS) update will be announced and released to developers on Monday, released to those in the public beta in July, and then available for download for everyone else in the fall.

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Apple Pay

Expectations for WWDC 2016

credit: Apple

Expectations for WWDC 2016

Apple is steadily bringing new banks and credit unions to their quick payment system. In the United States, we usually see support from twenty to sixty new financial institutions every month. Recently KFC has announced that it will now accept Apple Pay as payment. The next step of Apple is to further incorporate this into their apps like Safari and Messages. In Safari, users will be able to pay for purchases online with Apple Pay instead of entering in their credit card information. Additionally, the Messages app may be updated with person-to-person payments. Both of these have been rumored to be a part of the Apple Pay update, but they may not be announced on Monday.

 

Apple Smart Speaker (name?)

Expectations for WWDC 2016

Apple Speaker concept, credit: @JRESHOW on YouTube

Expectations for WWDC 2016

Apple is rumored to be working on their own version of Amazon’s Echo smart home speaker to be used with Siri. It will control many of your home’s functions, like adjusting the lighting, with HomeKit-compatible hardware and software. It may also house a camera that will detect who is in the room around it using facial recognition and use this information to select the person’s preferences like favorite music or playlists. Rumors originally suggested that it would be announced at the Worldwide Developer’s Conference with a release either in late 2016 or early 2017, but many sources have confirmed it will not be at the event.

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Apple Watch 2

Expectations for WWDC 2016

Apple Watch 2 concept, credit: Eric Huissman

Expectations for WWDC 2016

The second generation Apple Watch is currently in development and is planning to be announced/released this year. We are expecting a watch that is not dependent on the iPhone for functionality, a 20% to 40% thinner design, a front camera, and models made of new materials (perhaps tungsten or platinum.) Rumors have also suggested that it will have a cellular chip or a Wi-Fi chip inside so it would not need the iPhone for connecting to the Internet.



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iPhone 7

Expectations for WWDC 2016

iPhone 7 concept, credit: Martin Hajek

Expectations for WWDC 2016

The next generation iPhone is expected to be announced this year with the same overall design as its predecessor, the iPhone 6s. The phone will have less antenna lines on the back with no headphone jack and a thinner Lightning port. Additionally, the camera module will further differentiate the smaller, 4.7″ iPhone, from the larger, 5.5″ iPhone. The smaller phone will have a single camera and the larger phone will have a dual camera. Both phones will be powered by the A10 processor, have more RAM, and a higher starting storage capacity of 32GB.

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Apple TV Internet Streaming Service

Expectations for WWDC 2016

Expectations for WWDC 2016

The Internet TV streaming service was expected to be announced alongside the Apple TV 4th generation in September 2015, but it was not ready yet. The service was rumored to be available for $30-$40 per month and come with about twenty-five channels from major networks. Nearly a year after the expected announcement date, the streaming service has not been announced but it is still rumored to come eventually. While it is not likely we will see it on Monday, I wanted to briefly mention it since it was also a part of our WWDC 2015 keynote expectations.

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The Worldwide Developer’s Conference will kick off at 10am PDT, or 1pm EST,  in California and it will be live-streamed for all to watch. To add it to your calendar and watch it, click here.

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Rumored iOS 10 features: colorful notifications, pro editing in Photos, Siri SDK

June 7, 2016 0 Comments

iOS 10 Rumors: Music app
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The tenth generation operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is now only six days away from being announced and we have more ideas about what Apple is planning to announce. Mark Gurman, formerly of 9to5Mac, was interviewed by The Jay & Farhad Show and detailed a few more changes about what we should see.

Rumored iOS 10 features

iOS 10, via iPhoneInformer.com

Gurman warns that these updates are not one hundred percent guaranteed, but are being talked about as potential changes. With that being said, here is what we may see with iOS 10:

  • System-wide changes: minor user interface updates with more color with notifications and app icons tweaked
  • Photos app: big enhancements with more pro editing options and the Markup from the Mail app
  • Music app: redesigned app with more black and white like Spotify, main color will be from the album artwork, user interface will be refreshed and easier to navigate, Connect, New, and For You tabs updated
    • Connect tab: will lose its place and significance
    • New tab: renamed to Browse and have a new menu
    • For You: design changes
  • Siri: Siri SDK coming to allow third-party apps to be used with Siri, ex: “Hey Siri, call me an Uber” or “Hey Siri, create a new playlist in Spotify”
  • Messages app: potentially send money to other people with Apple Pay via iMessage
  • Security: new encryption software, better security

During the interview, Gurman also covered details about what he is expecting for this year’s and next year’s iPhone. The 2016 iPhone, which is likely called “iPhone 7,” will be more of a modest update with less antenna lines and the headphone jack will be removed. He notes that the reasoning behind taking the headphone jack away is because Apple is now able to focus on enhancing the sound quality with the Lightning port and now there will only be one port to waterproof, instead of the previous two. Next year’s iPhone will be a complete redesign, almost like a “reset” button on the iPhone. There are talks that it will no longer have a bottom, top, or side bezel, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be in the display, and Apple is planning to make the screen size larger but the form factor smaller. Apple has several prototypes for the new phone with some using a screen size of six inches. In the future, Gurman predicts that there will be incremental updates for iPhone each year and no longer will there be a complete redesign every other year.

The tenth generation operating system is expected to be released in September alongside the iPhone 7 and the second generation Apple Watch.

via 9to5Mac


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