Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Cupertino, Calif. Pic: AP

Here’s what we know about the iPhone 7 ahead of its Sept 7 release

By | 6 September, 2016

THE iPhone 7 will soon be upon us, with the launch event taking place on September 7 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

Apple sent out teaser invitations about two weeks ago with the tagline “See you on the 7th”, which some industry watchers believe is a play on the new device’s name, ‘The iPhone 7’.

A series of leaks on the features of the much-anticipated iPhone 7 began appearing at the start of September, including possible details such as two cameras instead of one on the back of the smartphone, no headphone jack, and up to 256GB of storage capacity.

SEE ALSO: Apple appeals to Asian market with iMessage updates and Siri-WeChat integration

Here’s the list, obtained by Apple Insider on September 3:

  1. No more piddly 16 and 64GB models – Apple might be swapping them out for higher storage options of 32, 128, and 256GB
  2. Users may have to either use Bluetooth headphones or plug into the lightning port at the bottom of the phone, as the headphone jack may be removed. In place of the headphone jack could be a second speaker with an audio amplifier
  3. iPhone 7 is expected to come with both Lightning Earpods and a Lightning headphone adapter
  4. Upgraded pressure-sensitive Home button which responds with a vibrating sensation rather than an actual click
  5. Upgraded camera flash, with options for cool or warm colors, as well as the addition of an ambient light sensor to improve pictures taken in low light
  6. Upgraded camera with two 12-megapixel lenses exclusively on the 5.5-inch model, which are expected to have better zoom capabilities
  7. Next-generation “A10 processor” that could operate as fast as 2.45 gigahertz
  8. New color options including ‘dark black’ and ‘piano black’
  9. The smartphone may also come with a GPS chip for “more accurate fitness tracking”, hand-in-hand with battery life improvements to support the chip

According to a website that appears to have been set up specially for the iPhone 7, iphone7updates.org, the new wireless headphones might look like this:

Pic: iphone7updates.org

Pic: iphone7updates.org

Some people have already expressed worry about the new headphones:

https://twitter.com/Kyldish/status/772536257310134272

The expected removal of the headphone jack has also been met with derision, especially by people who use AUX cords to play their own music on other devices.

For example, many people use AUX cords to connect their iPhones to their car’s audio system instead of listening to the radio – but without a headphone jack, people are apprehensive:

However, if Apple indeed releases an adapter that allows users to plug in regular headphones through the Lightning port, these people will be more inclined to purchase the iPhone 7.

The existence of such an adapter has also been somewhat confirmed by the CMO of JayBird, a headphone maker owned by Logitech. Rene Oehlerking told Forbes that there will be “some kind of adapter in the iPhone 7 box” that allows users to make the shift without having to buy new wireless headphones.

Other than the fuss around the missing headphone jack, the excitement around the iPhone 7 is palpable. See you on the 7th.



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