Rumors that sound reasonably credible are starting to appear for both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in 2017. The current state-of-the-rumors suggest that the iPhone 7 will have some nice features, but a 10th anniversary iPhone next year is the one that will have the stunning new look and feel.
Will the iPhone 7 be a spectacular leap forward in its design? Many sources are suggesting that the next iPhone, whatever the name, won't have a dramatic change to its physical appearance. That's what sources are pointing to for 2017 instead. Here's what the rumor mill is saying.
First, a leaked photo, not authenticated, suggests that the iPhone 7 in September will "not be a significant redesign" from the iPhone 6s. This is from Cult of Mac. We first heard about this from Rene Ritchie at iMore last week in the 13 May Particle Debris.
Subsequent to that, Business Insider reported that "The CEO of Catcher Technology, a major Apple supplier, has seemingly confirmed a big iPhone rumor." Namely, that the iPhone 7 is going to be "fairly boring" [visually] and that an exciting iPhone will actually have to wait for 2017, the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone.
Looking at what's been reported for each version in these articles, and others, we have:
iPhone 7 - 2016
- Removal of antenna gaps/lines.
- Removal of 3.5 mm audio jack.
- Inductive charging.
- Waterproofing.
- Final implementation of LCD display.
- Dual cameras (wide-angle & telephoto) in Plus model.
While that's a healthy list, there isn't much in the way of exciting visual changes to the hardware. For the iPhone 8, we have:
iPhone 8 - 2017
- Wireless charging.
- Glass body around metal frame.
- Bezel free edge-to-edge display.
- AMOLED 4K display.
- Possible use of display for Touch ID, eliminating the space consuming home button.
The iPhone 8 might look like this as a result.
Of course, many of the significant changes that the supply chain doesn't have access to could appear in major new software features of iOS 10 this year and iOS 11 in 2017. This will likely include additional security measures that would make an iPhone essentially unhackable.
My take on these rumors is that there's enough independent information to begin to form a picture of what we might see in September. If the list for the iPhone 7 comes to pass, there will be millions who will want to upgrade. But the question is, as always, how many milions? It could well depend on what's offered in iOS 10.
Page 2: The Tech News Debris for the Week of May 16th. How to pair your 4KTV and HDR to Blu-ray and streaming services.
Page 2 - The Tech News Debris for the Week of May 16th
4K UHD TV: Samsung and Sony Are Passing on Dolby Vision - Why It Matters
Image credit: Vizio
Last week in this column, I pointed to a really good tutorial on high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs.
This week, I want to point you to another article, this time in the context of TV makers and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Video. This is an amazing article by David Katzmaier, and it will tell most everything you need to know about purchasing a 4K UHD TV in the near future. "HDR is TV's next big format war, and Samsung and Sony could find themselves on the losing side." The subtitle tells all:
Forget 3D or 4K. The next big thing in TV technology is high dynamic range, or HDR. But with two rival formats, some TVs will have a leg up -- and the brand you buy could make all the difference.
The important distinction between HDR10 (HDR 10 bit color) and Dolby Vision is also made. Included is this helpful chart, the first I've seen like this.
Credit: CNET
The article is long and detailed, but has amazing detail and quotes from the TV makers that explains their thinking. Just awesome.
Moving on....
I have two urgent suggestions for anyone who spends much time on the Internet. 1) Only subscribe to services that you really need and whose payoff outweighs the risks. And 2) Shut down non-essential location aware services. For a #2 eye-opener, see: "We know where you live." from MIT News .
Could Apple really bring and end to its music sales and download service someday? This label executive weighs in. "I’m a Label Executive. And This Is My Fair Warning on iTunes Music Downloads…"
Finally, we're in a golden age of scripted TV. It all started with Netflix and House of Cards. Now, according to Vulture, "a whopping 409 scripted comedies and dramas aired on cable, broadcast, and streaming outlets in 2015." (My favorite was Jessica Jones.) In this excellent article, also at Vulture, the authors discuss: "The Business of Too Much TV." It's very good, and worth your time if you're into these kinds of TV productions. There's a notable quote from Patrick Moran, head of ABC Studios.
There's no room for mediocrity. It's the end of ‘Who gives a shit?’ television. It all has to be great.
What we're seeing here is that by going direct to consumers on the Internet, the annoyances of commercials become unnecessary. Who could have seen that when the internet went public 20 years ago?
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Particle Debris is a generally a mix of John Martellaro's observations and opinions about a standout event or article of the week (preamble on page one) followed on page two by a discussion of articles that didn't make the TMO headlines, the technical news debris. The column is published most every Friday except for holidays.