iPhone 7

It appears that the iPhone 7 is going to eliminate the 3.5mm headphone jack but headphone manufacturers aren’t waiting for Apple to make an announcement before hitting the market with some great solutions to this so-called “problem.”

I’ve been living with the new $349 Bose Quiet Comfort 35s for the past week and not only are they amazing, but I can honestly say they’ve changed my life.

That may sound like hyperbole but let me explain…
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In this week’s top stories: Rumored iPhone 7 pricing and the latest leaks, new iOS 10 details, Thunderbolt Display gets discontinued, Mark Zuckerberg’s MacBook security advice and much more.

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iPhone concept from ConceptsiPhone

With Apple expected to switch to OLED screens for future iPhones, it appears that it may not need to rely completely on the two major manufacturers for long. While Samsung and LG currently manufacture most of the world’s OLED screens between them, Nikkei reports that Sharp expects to be doing the same ‘before 2018’ …

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With the iPhone 7 rumors in full force now following WWDC this month and the unveiling of iOS 10, the latest might be our first look at pricing for the device. An unconfirmed leak from Weibo (via PocketNow), where info from the Chinese supply chain has been known to appear in the past, shows alleged iPhone 7 pricing that has a new 256GB model will almost retain pricing of the current top of the line 128GB model.

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These products from August, Canary, Withings, Kuna, D-Link, Ring & others will be next to gain support for Apple’s HomeKit in the coming months.
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Since the first rumors emerged claiming Apple would ditch the headphone jack with this fall’s iPhone release, many have been speculating on what exactly Apple will include as a solution. According to a new report from Macotakara, it’s not Lightning-suited EarPods that Apple is planning to include, but rather the standard 3.5mm EarPods and an adapter.

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The same developer who found the original iOS 10 Dark Mode references in the Messages app, Andy Wiik, has found even more evidence that Apple was/is developing a black appearance for its iPhone and iPad operating system. The latest screenshots show the iOS 10 Simulator presenting the Settings app in a dark interface style, with black cell backgrounds and white text.

The screenshots are captured from the iOS 10 Simulator where it is easier to inject code and discover unfinished flags and behaviour, like this Dark Mode interface style …

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A purported image of the front of an iPhone 7 has appeared on the Internet today, via mobipicker.com. Blurry cams and bad photography aside, the picture claims to a major new detail for the upcoming flagship iPhone 7 launch, which is expected to mostly resemble an iPhone 6s in appearance.

The image shows a tweaked Home Button that appears to be flat with the bezel, meaning Apple will drop the physical click in favor of a fully touch-sensitive capacitive Home Button. Noting that the image could quite easily be faked, it does appear to show a button that has no depth …

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In this week’s top stories: WWDC coverage kicked into full gear ahead of Apple’s event on Monday, we discussed USB-C and upcoming MacBook Pros, and Apple announced welcomed subscription and revenue changes for the App Store.

Apple’s plan to become an energy company by selling off its excess renewable electricity was revealed this week, and we also showed you how to drive a 4K display at 60 Hz with the new 2016 MacBook in this week’s top video.

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What will Apple unveil at its event this Monday, June 13 to kick off WWDC 2016? Below we roundup the latest reports along with some of our own information on what Apple is currently planning for the keynote.

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Data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows that iPhone owners are holding onto their phones longer before they upgrade them. Three years ago, almost two-thirds of iPhones in use were just 1-2 years old, but CIRP says that number has now fallen to just 51%.

CIRP attributes the change to a combination of the slowing pace of development and carriers switching from phone-inclusive plans to separate financing for the phone itself …

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Update: We’ve had the chance to review them and they are great.

Bose is one of the best-known names in noise-cancelling headphones with its QuietComfort 25 model a popular choice, and the firm is now gearing up for the rumored removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 with a wireless version.

The new Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones, launched today, offer the same noise-cancelling performance as their wired predecessors, but with Bluetooth and NFC pairing.

These are our best headphones. In making them wireless, we had one goal: seamlessly merge Bluetooth and our Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology together with no compromise to the technologies or the audio performance we’re known for …

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In this week’s top stories: iPhone 7 leaks, more on the rumored upcoming MacBook Pros with OLED touch bar, what’s in store for WWDC 2016, and much more.

Apple also launched its Back to School promo for 2016, and designer brand Coach started preparing for a launch of its Apple Watch bands next week. Head below for all of the handy links to these and our other top shared Apple stories this week.

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Cases claiming to be designed for the next-generation iPhones, currently being dubbed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, have been released online today. Although the cases do not show anything drastically different to what we’ve been hearing for months, with most of the chassis mirroring the appearance of the iPhone 6s, it is interesting nonetheless to see the design formalized into cases that are apparently going to be on sale by the end of the month.

The case renders include a depiction of what the dual camera system on the 5.5 inch iPhone 7 Plus could look like, suggesting that it will have a binocular-esque appearance of two camera iris holes side-by-side with a sizeable gap between them. The camera flash and rear microphone are also aligned horizontally. The iPhone 7 Plus case also includes space for the 3-pin Smart Connector on the back of the device — more pictures after the break …

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Claimed image of the iPhone 7 from OnLeaks

Supply chain research by TrendForce backs earlier reports suggesting that this year’s iPhone will be a relatively minor upgrade over the iPhone 6s. The firm says that most of the specs have now been finalized, and the specifics listed are in line with what has been reported previously.

[The iPhone] will come in two sizes: 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. The major hardware highlights include expanded storage for all models and dual-camera specifically for the 5.5-inch model. However, the next iPhone (here also referred to as iPhone 7) is generally consistent with its predecessor appearance-wise; and more importantly, display is not included in its upgrades.

It backs a report of a top storage tier of 256GB, but says that Apple has not yet decided whether to retain the 64GB middle tier or boost it to 128GB. A recent report suggested that Apple is at long last dropping the 16GB entry-level in favor of 32GB.

TrendForce also supports a report by KGI that there is a specific reason for Apple’s rumored move to 3GB RAM for the larger model …

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It’s been mostly doom and gloom where iPhone sales and forecasts are concerned, but one analyst believes that the iPhone 7 could see record sales in September, reports Business Insider. BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long says the reason is because such a high proportion of existing iPhone owners currently have a model two or more years old.

Twenty-five percent of the “installed user base” is poised for an upgrade, Long believes — an audience of 120 million phones. BMO’s Long went back through the history of all iPhone sales and calculated that on average, 17% of users upgrade as soon as the next year’s model comes out; 58% upgrade a year after that; and 22% the year after that. Only 2% of users hang on longer.

While he’s predicting a huge number, the underlying figures would seem to support his contention that we can expect a marked uptake in sales even if this year’s model is less visually distinctive than we’d usually expect from a brand new model …

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iPhone concept image by Yasser Farahi

That Nikkei report claiming that Apple is moving to a three-year cycle on major iPhone refreshes would be huge news if true.

Apple currently has a very well-established ‘tick-tock’ cycle where we see a new form-factor every two years, and new features within the same casing on alternate years. That’s a very efficient approach: Apple generates new demand each year without having the pressure to design a whole new model each time.

Some will upgrade every single year; others will be more influenced by design, and buy in ‘tick’ years; others will be more concerned about features, and will buy in ‘tock’ years. The result is that every year, you have a bunch of customers eager to buy.

A switch to a three-year cycle would seem a dangerous one – so could it really be true, or is something else going on … ?

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With the iPhone 7 (or whatever Apple calls it) looking increasingly likely to lose the 3.5mm headphone socket, Chinese accessory makers are gearing up to meet demand from those who don’t want to replace their existing headphones. Macotakara spotted a couple of Chinese companies who are already advertising 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapters.

It’s unlikely these are real products yet, especially as one claims to be MFi-certified. They are more likely dummies or prototypes, perhaps created for submission for MFi status. Also pictured below are some smaller Lightning adapters and earbuds though probably not the ones Apple intends to bundle with the next iPhone.

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iPhone concept image by Arthur Reis

Japanese newspaper Nikkei is claiming that Apple is moving from a tick-tock cycle with a major iPhone refresh every two years to a three-year cycle.

Apple will likely take three years between full-model changes of its iPhone devices, a year longer than the current cycle. In a typical two-year term, fall 2016 was supposed to see a major upgrade. But the changes on the model to be launched this autumn will be minor, such as improved camera quality. 

The paper says that the change is driven by two factors …

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