When Apple unveils its next smartphone \u2013 likely to be called either the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 \u2013 it will retain one of its predecessor’s least-loved features: the translucent plastic strips on the rear of the handset.<\/p>\n
Recent reports had suggested that Apple was working to replace the plastic tramlines, whose purpose is to let radio waves penetrate the iPhone’s aluminium casing.<\/p>\n
TechRadar said in June that the company was working on a way to ditch the “ugly plastic bands”.<\/p>\n
In a patent filing, Apple describes a material made from a blend of metal oxides that “looks and feels like metal, but will still allow radio frequencies to pass through”. The result, TechRadar says, would be an iPhone 7 that “could retain a premium all-metal look and feel without compromising wireless strength”.<\/p>\n
However, the technology will not be ready in time for the new iPhone, which is expected to launch next month.<\/p>\n
The iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 \u2013 opinion is still undecided about the name \u2013 will “almost certainly get a better camera”, says Business Insider, “but everything else from the form factor to the protruding rear camera lens to those unsightly antenna breaks along the back side of the phone are expected to remain the same”.<\/p>\n
Apple’s iPhone upgrade schedule has involved wholesale changes one year followed by minor enhancements the following year \u2013 and after last September’s all-new iPhone 6, most commentators are expecting a less significant upgrade next month.<\/p>\n
However, a minority of analysts, including the influential Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, had predicted that Apple will bring in significant changes with the iPhone 7 this autumn.<\/p>\n
There’s nothing like a new Apple product to fire up the rumour mill. Here’s what tech insiders think we can expect from the iPhone 7:<\/p>\n
Few high-profile design changes: Having come up with an all-new aesthetic for the iPhone 6, Apple is unlikely to alter the overall look and feel of the handset for the next update.<\/p>\n
Until recently, the assumption was that the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 would look all but identical to its predecessor, but the latest reports suggest that the new phone may be slightly thicker, taller and wider (see above). Most analysts still believe that there will be no dramatic redesign, with most physical changes imperceptible at first glance.<\/p>\n
New aluminium frame: Although the design is unlikely to change substantially, it may be built from a new material. According to Taiwan’s Economic Daily News, Apple is planning to make use of the “Series 7000” aluminium alloy it developed for the Apple Watch on its smartphones too.<\/p>\n
The metal is “designed to be 60 per cent stronger than most aluminum, and one-third the density of stainless steel, while still maintaining a light weight”, MacRumors says.<\/p>\n
Higher-resolution screen: When Apple launched the iPhone 4 in June 2010, it said the “Retina” screen provided the maximum resolution perceptible to the human eye.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, it stepped up resolution for the iPhone 6 Plus, boosting pixels per inch from 326 to 401 for its supersized smartphone and describing the new screen as a “Retina HD Display”. The 4.7-inch model retained the 326ppi screen, but reports from China quoting supply chain sources suggest that the smaller version of the iPhone 7 may get a screen that’s slightly larger and significantly sharper.<\/p>\n
“The iPhone 7 could very well sport a five-inch screen with 400ppi resolution,” says IT Pro. Changing the size of the screen would be an unusual step for the first upgrade following a major redesign, but it would tally with the claim that the frame of the new handset will also be slightly larger than the one it replaces.<\/p>\n
Four-inch iPhone 6C or 7C: The rumour that refuses to die\u2026 Perhaps more in hope than expectation, a range of Apple-watchers have been predicting that the company will supplement its iPhone range with a high-spec four-inch-screen iPhone mini.<\/p>\n
Apple used to specialise in small-screened phones, but since the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, fans of four-inchers have had to make do with the 5S which is beginning to show its age. Leaks suggest that Apple will keep building a four-inch phone, but it remains unclear whether it will be an all-new iPhone Mini or an updated version of the 5S.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: The Week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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