New CAD renderings support rumored features of Apple's 'iPhone 7' and '7 Plus'

AppleInsider

If authentic, leaked CAD renderings of Apple's "iPhone 7" and "7 Plus" appear to support claims that the device will ditch the headphone jack, sport tweaked antenna designs, and feature a dual-camera system for the larger 5.5-inch model.

Images of the base model show an expected larger space for the rear camera, as well as relocated antenna bands, NWE noted on Wednesday. The bottom of the device has two speaker ports, suggesting once again that Apple is abandoning a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack in the interests of thinness and freeing up space.

The "Plus" model meanwhile shows an opening for a dual-lens camera. None of the published screenshots include an angle revealing whether or not the device has a Smart Connector.

The authenticity of the renderings can't be confirmed, but some images do depict internal case elements important only in manufacturing, which are unlikely to be faked. One possibility is that the renderings stem from someone at Catcher, the supplier normally tasked with building metal casings for iPhones.

Apple is expected to ship the "iPhone 7" line sometime this fall, presumably within the company's normal September window. One of the biggest changes may actually be storage capacity, as Apple is expected to finally boost the minimum to 32 gigabytes -- something other phone makers have been doing for a while.

thewhitefalcon

The jack has nothing to do with thickness here, stop claiming that. Apple has far thinner devices that still have jacks. Internal space, yes.

edited July 2016

regurgitatedcoprolite

Yes, you're right, white falcon, the jack takes up a substantial number of cubic millimeters.

mac_128

thewhitefalcon said:

The jack has nothing to do with thickness here, stop claiming that. Apple has far thinner devices that still have jacks. Internal space, yes.

While I tend to agree with you from a semantics perspective, and only because people keep bringing up this same strawman debate about other devices being thinner, without considering the obvious:

The two things are not necessarily mutually exclusive -- in order to make the case thinner, internal components need to be spread out, and thus the presence of the jack prevents that, preventing the case from becoming thinner, even if the physical edge of the case can still accomodate the actual connector hole with room to spare. So it's both in this case -- they need more internal space to add features, but also to give existing components a thinner profile.

However, before my comment gets misconstrued, I don't believe the goal is to make the phone thinner. I believe the goal is to add more features in the same space, while making the phone as small and light as possible. The phone may or may not get any thinner, but it's unlikely to get any thicker, and therein lies the problem with the headphone jack as it presently exists and takes up space. And I further believe Apple is not alone here. Android devices are just as thin as Apple's, and in order to maintain feature parity, it's likely that they must resort to the same tactic of removing all redundant features in order to remain competitive with Apple.

edited July 2016

wozwoz

Watch the iPhone 7 fail dismally - followed by an iPhone 7S or 8 that returns the 3.5mm headphone jack. 

flaneur

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

flaneur

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

turbopgt

We're probably looking at the real deal here. I like it a lot. I mean, why wouldn't I? I love the iPhone 6s. And this is similar in the ways that count, and looks to be improving in the only ways that needed improvement.

rogifan_new

flaneur said:

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

Ok Phil, what's the consumer benefit to getting rid of it?

sector7g

wozwoz said:

Watch the iPhone 7 fail dismally - followed by an iPhone 7S or 8 that returns the 3.5mm headphone jack. 

HAHA,

Yeah right, old headphone jacks are not going to make a come back. When has an analog technology ever made a come back? You are the same guy who said "Macs are going to flop without CD ROM's" this isn't just about making apple devices smaller its about getting rid of a terrible technology that requires wires.

turbopgt

rogifan_new said:

flaneur said:

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

Ok Phil, what's the consumer benefit to getting rid of it?

GTFO, you're around here often enough to have been presented with all of that information 20 times.

blastdoor

So far I have not seen an argument for how removing the audio jack would be a benefit to consumers. 

But this morning an idea popped into my head -- what if the motivation here has nothing to do with output and everything to do with input? I did some googling and found this:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/518356/device-could-spot-seizures-by-reading-brainwaves-through-the-ear/

Now... this seems very unlikely and far fetched, BUT, having earphones that read brainwaves certainly could qualify as a good reason to replace the audio jack with lightning. 

Unless Apple plans something super cool like that, though, I can't see how removing the audio jack makes sense. 

t766

How does the dual camera system work? Surely, with the two cameras side by side, there will be big differences between landscape and portrait photos.

foggyhill

rogifan_new said:

flaneur said:

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

Ok Phil, what's the consumer benefit to getting rid of it?

I'm guessing more features in the phone, like a digitizer like the Ipad pros in the large one, without impacting the battery.
The earpods could also be doing more than just music now that's using lightning.

ireland

T766 said:

How does the dual camera system work? Surely, with the two cameras side by side, there will be big differences between landscape and portrait photos.

It's possible via software later your photo can be re-focused during edit on the element you like like a Lytro or similar. For the original snap the software would appear to focus just as it does now—on what is most prominent or on where you tap. And there'd be the increased benefit of having a wider range of optical focus.

edited July 2016

suddenly newton

The fact that these CAD renderings can't be authenticated means they can't be used to "support rumors." They could have been the product of those rumors, like Martin Hajeck's "concept" renderings.

ericthehalfbee

foggyhill said:

rogifan_new said:

Ok Phil, what's the consumer benefit to getting rid of it?

I'm guessing more features in the phone, like a digitizer like the Ipad pros in the large one, without impacting the battery.
The earpods could also be doing more than just music now that's using lightning.

Bingo. Heartbeat sensing can be easily done through earbuds. Games and augmented reality could use accelerometers in your headphones to tell when you turn your head to apply the appropriate effects. You could also have multi-channel headphones for 3D surround sound. A fast and reliable digital connection (LIghtning) would be the preferred method to do this.

There are probably a lot more use cases that I haven't even thought of. People need to have a little imagination as to what could be done instead of being so bloody narrow minded and thinking all you need is a two channel stereo analog signal.

intrepidfoster

rogifan_new said:

flaneur said:

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

Ok Phil, what's the consumer benefit to getting rid of it?

Does anyone even use their earbuds?  I haven't seen anyone use them in a long time. 

doozydozen

ericthehalfbee said:

•Heartbeat sensing can be easily done through earbuds.
•Games and augmented reality could use accelerometers in your headphones to sense when you turn your head and apply the appropriate effects.
•Multi-channel headphones for 3D surround sound. Fast and reliable digital connection (Lightning) would be the preferred.
•There are probably a lot more use cases that I haven't even thought of.

Conclusion: People need to have a little imagination as to what could be done instead of being so bloody narrow minded and thinking all you need is a two channel stereo analog signal.

Thank you for interjecting a sense of reason into this mess of a conversation that's persisted since AUX-free iPhone rumors first surfaced. Your services come highly welcomed from the few amongst us that have retained our faculties to reason and make sense of the straight forward decision Apple is rumored to have made. Once again, thanks.
  

edited July 2016

fred1

I understand that this is a rendering, but it looks the same as the so-called "leaked photos" that some people take as proof that the iPhone 7 won't have a headphone jack. 
Well, the bottom edge of my iPad Mini looks just like this: lightning port in the middle with two speakers, and it has a headphone jack at the top edge. 
How do we know this won't be the same?

nolamacguy

rogifan_new said:

flaneur said:

However you interpret it, the headphone jack is a comical wasre of space for the sake of four lousy contacts, which could be handled just as well by the much smaller lightning jack, with 13 contacts to spare, two of which are power.

Its time has passed. Manufacturing of smaller contacts obsolesced it years ago. No self-respecting engineer could tolerate hanging on to it much longer.

Ok Phil, what's the consumer benefit to getting rid of it?

how on earth will we know until they announce? what, do you think they'll just say: "Oh, and we removed a popular 100-year-old port for the hell of it. Bye!" 

I mean, really, get real. well know the reasons when they announce them...and then you can complain about them later. up sells! bean counters!