Apple is trying to decide between 3 different designs for the iPhone 7
Getty Images, Justin Sullivan
According to the very reliable Mark Gurman, of 9to5 Mac, Apple is currently testing three different designs for the next iPhone, but has not yet selected which one will be the final design for the phone's expected Fall launch. Apple will also ditch the 3.5 mm headphone jack, according to Gurman, which seems to confirm what previous reports have suggested.
Among the three different handset designs Apple is currently testing is a "completely new, thinner look," according to Gurman, as well as a "backup" design that resembles the existing iPhone 6S. The latter would mark something of a lackluster update, at least from an aesthetic perspective, given that Apple typically unveils a deeper redesign for the models that follow the S versions of the phone.
And with growing worries on Wall Street that Apple's iPhone business could face its first ever year-on-year sales decline, Apple needs a sexy new phone to revamp consumer interest.
One big change coming with the iPhone 7 however may be new wireless Beats earphones that Apple wants to launch alongside the phone, according to the report. The Bluetooth earphones will apparently be sold separately and will be completely wireless (i.e. no wires to the phone and no wires between the left and right earpieces).
Wireless earphones are a relatively new technology that has so far been pioneered by smaller companies like Bragi and Skybuds. There are various engineering and design challenges inherent in creating them, including the fact that a Bluetooth radio signal cannot travel through a person's body from one earbud to the next.
Of course, given that Apple spent $8 billion on research and development last year, the company has plenty of resources to figure out how to perfect wireless earbud technology.
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore