A fresh year, a fresh set of expectations. Except when it comes to Apple’s iPhone what we’re expecting is always “better than last year”. They haven’t really managed to disappoint, though some updates have been incremental at best, but 2016 is going to be a rough year for them. How do you take something like the iPhone 6s and improve on it without going the Samsung route and dropping the mobile phone equivalent of a V12 engine into it? Well, the rumours below suggest a few ways Apple might raise our eyebrows in 2016.
A Double Camera? Really?
Apple might have a more ambitious camera upgrade heading our way in 2016 than just a megapixel jump. Don’t get us wrong, we appreciated the work that went into the new iPhone 6s’ camera but the iPhone 7 could have something even more impressive. Something like a dual camera system, along the lines of a patent that was recently unearthed. Apple has filed a patent for a dual camera system for iOS devices (so… iPad too, then?) which would allow users to perform two functions at the same time. A standard image which can be zoomed into without pixelation, thanks to an additional pic taken at a deeper focal depth, or simultaneous 4K and 1080p video recording are just two examples. Of course, a patent isn’t an indicator of a new feature but if Apple were going to wow us with camera tech, this would be the way to go about it. Just sayin’.
We Still Reckon The 3.5mm Jack Is Gone
Towards the end of last year we heard rumours that the 3.5mm jack in the iPhone 7 was going to be making way for… something else. Something slimmer, so that Apple could make the next iteration of the iPhone even skinnier than before. The rumour hasn’t gone away, with Fast Company reporting that if you’re going to want to have wired ‘phones, you going to need a Lightning-fitted set. This supports last year’s speculation and it’s coming from more than one source. It seems as though the 3.5mm headphone jack’s days might be numbered. And no, signing a petition probably isn’t going to help.
Would You Like Beats With That?
If the 3.5mm jack does go the way of the Dodo, there’s something else said to be waiting in the wings. Apple bought Beats in 2014 and used it to kill off Beats Music, launching their own branded music-streaming offering in its place. Some new hardware could be on the way as well, wireless earbuds from Beats designed to take the place of whichever wired setup you used to use. MacRumours has all of the details but the release of a set of wireless Beats hasn’t been set in stone yet. But if they’re going to be canning the old port arrangement, a new set of cans makes a lot of sense.
Mystery Hardware
The information that we’d really like to know is also the info that Apple has a talent for keeping a secret. What’s in the box? The processor, RAM, wireless components and modem stay under wraps for most of the development cycle and you can almost be certain that any details that pitch up ahead of time have been calculated. That’s Apple’s M.O. and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change. Count on a proprietary CPU, some graphics tweaks and efficiency upgrades all round. If they upgrade the battery while they’re at it we won’t complain but there are no clear directions concerning Apple’s plans in this vein as yet. We’ll keep you posted, as and when anything crops up.
