Apple considering earlier-than-usual launch for 'iPhone 7' in 2016, source says
Though Apple has used the month of September to introduce new iPhones for four straight years, that could change in 2016 with an earlier than expected debut for the "iPhone 7," a source has told AppleInsider.
Since the iPhone 5 launched on Sept. 21, 2012, all proceeding iPhone models have launched around that same late-September period. Most recently, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus arrived in the hands of consumers on Sept. 25.
But that pattern could end next year with an earlier launch, a reliable source told AppleInsider on Wednesday. The same person has, in the past, provided accurate information about the Apple's future product plans.
Exactly how early it might launch, however, remains unknown. Up until the iPhone 4s in 2011, the first four generations of iPhone upgrades launched in the summer, in the months of June and July.
The lone outlier from those launch windows was the iPhone 4s, which became available in October.
Though plans can change as a product makes its way to market, Apple is apparently hoping to complete the development cycle of its "iPhone 7" faster than in previous years. It's expected that the next-generation handset will feature a completely new external design, as the company has traditionally done with new model numbers.
This year's iPhone 6s upgrade features largely the same external design as the iPhone 6. That has prompted concerns among investors that demand for the iPhone 6s could wane, particularly toward the tail end of the product cycle, as consumers await a new-look "iPhone 7" next year.
Launching the "iPhone 7" in an earlier window of 2016 would be one way for Apple to address those concerns, and to help avoid a potential year-over-year decrease in sales as the iPhone 6s product cycle winds down.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, another reliable insider on Apple's future product plans, said on Tuesday that Apple also plans to begin mass production of a revamped 4-inch iPhone sometime in the first half of 2016. That suggests Apple is planning to launch three new iPhones in 2016, joining an "iPhone 7" and "iPhone 7 Plus."
According to Kuo, the "iPhone 7" series is currently scheduled to begin production a little later, in the third quarter of calendar 2016. That would place manufacturing anywhere from July to September, according to his sources.
Kuo also said that Apple is expected to bump up the RAM in the "iPhone 7 Plus" to 3 gigabytes, an increase from the 2 gigabytes of RAM found in the iPhone 6s series, and three times that of the 1 gigabyte in the iPhone 6 lineup. He believes the 3-gigabyte boost will be exclusive to the larger 5.5-inch Plus variant, with the smaller 4.7-inch "iPhone 7" staying at 2 gigabytes in its "A10" processor.
Since the iPhone 5 launched on Sept. 21, 2012, all proceeding iPhone models have launched around that same late-September period. Most recently, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus arrived in the hands of consumers on Sept. 25.
Launching an "iPhone 7" earlier than expected could calm concerns that iPhone 6s demand might wane at the end of its product cycle.
But that pattern could end next year with an earlier launch, a reliable source told AppleInsider on Wednesday. The same person has, in the past, provided accurate information about the Apple's future product plans.
Exactly how early it might launch, however, remains unknown. Up until the iPhone 4s in 2011, the first four generations of iPhone upgrades launched in the summer, in the months of June and July.
The lone outlier from those launch windows was the iPhone 4s, which became available in October.
Though plans can change as a product makes its way to market, Apple is apparently hoping to complete the development cycle of its "iPhone 7" faster than in previous years. It's expected that the next-generation handset will feature a completely new external design, as the company has traditionally done with new model numbers.
This year's iPhone 6s upgrade features largely the same external design as the iPhone 6. That has prompted concerns among investors that demand for the iPhone 6s could wane, particularly toward the tail end of the product cycle, as consumers await a new-look "iPhone 7" next year.
Launching the "iPhone 7" in an earlier window of 2016 would be one way for Apple to address those concerns, and to help avoid a potential year-over-year decrease in sales as the iPhone 6s product cycle winds down.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, another reliable insider on Apple's future product plans, said on Tuesday that Apple also plans to begin mass production of a revamped 4-inch iPhone sometime in the first half of 2016. That suggests Apple is planning to launch three new iPhones in 2016, joining an "iPhone 7" and "iPhone 7 Plus."
According to Kuo, the "iPhone 7" series is currently scheduled to begin production a little later, in the third quarter of calendar 2016. That would place manufacturing anywhere from July to September, according to his sources.
Kuo also said that Apple is expected to bump up the RAM in the "iPhone 7 Plus" to 3 gigabytes, an increase from the 2 gigabytes of RAM found in the iPhone 6s series, and three times that of the 1 gigabyte in the iPhone 6 lineup. He believes the 3-gigabyte boost will be exclusive to the larger 5.5-inch Plus variant, with the smaller 4.7-inch "iPhone 7" staying at 2 gigabytes in its "A10" processor.
Comments
So now we've heard from Kuo, and Appleinsider. Any bets on how soon we hear from Mark Gurman regarding iPhone 7?
They say this every year man
iPhone release in the summer or even April would be much better instead of pushing everything in the fall season.....
Except Apple didn't push everything into the fall season. ?Watch came out in the spring. Macs were updated in the spring and summer. No iPad Air 2 this fall leaves room for a new iPad Air next spring.
I agree, the upgrade program pretty much makes this rumour a non-starter. I could, though, imagine the 4" budget phone (which wouldn't be aimed at current iPhone 6 upgraders, but rather a new demographic) coming out early. Since it'll be older tech, it wouldn't steal the iPhone 7's thunder in any way.
New rumours planned for 2016. Shock horror. Back in the real world iPhone 7 ships when it's expect to in the fall of 2016.
And boy is that concept ridiculous and ugly.
I hear these rumors every year from non fan boys and I have to tell them don't believe it. Should I upgrade over the holidays since a new iPhone is coming out in a few months? Lol.
Track record of source seems to be add odds with this though. Unless 6s sales were below expectations, this is implausible. R&D cost need to be recovered too; early product transition would erode profitability so Apple wouldn't do this unless situation is dire. No reason whatsoever to believe this. Proof would be in Q4 / FY2015 results we'll see in due course.
The other scenario would be a "pre-emptive strike" against high-end competition. But no reason to believe this is likely as Apple is defending high-end dominance / even attracting Android switchers in that segment.
Speculation on RAM increase is entirely credible though. RAM needs to scale proportionate (or beyond) previous vs next-gen relative CPU performance. If anything, CPUs already scaled faster than RAM in the *past* so this is overdue. Only caveat is battery capacity. As S > non S capacity-wise, Kuo's prediction appears well informed.
Wtf? O.O
Except I figured it would be better with the bottom row apps on the bottom.
Would be pretty high tech if they can make the home button a touch screen also for an extra icon(one's missing in the above concept). Touch to activate icon/app, click or force press for home screen.
I have yet to see any concept from Martin Hajek that wasn't either ugly and/or unrealistic. Let's not forget his AppleTV concept featured polished chamfered edges for the box and the remote.
Then after the iPhone 6 came out he changed it to this:
I don't know why everyone uses his stuff for illustrative purposes.
You're welcome...I just spared you from reading Kuo's nonsense.
How is it ugly? I don't know about the bottom icons he used but replacing those with your "favorite" apps could work.
This concept gets more obstructive tools(rewind/status bar/etc) out of the way of your space.
The concept looks like a natural progression to a full front screen device. Or is that ugly too?