Apple HomePod firmware reveals 'iPhone 8' bezel-less design, facial recognition
Sometimes the best source of Apple leaks is Apple itself, as revealed by the company's HomePod firmware, which apparently includes a rough sketch of the front face of the "iPhone 8," as well as references to its anticipated facial recognition unlock feature.
Screenshot via developer Steven Troughton-Smith.
The details hidden within the software for Apple's upcoming Siri-enabled speaker were published by developer Steven Troughton-Smith on Sunday. It reveals that the upcoming flagship "iPhone 8" will include infrared technology to recognize a user's face in a wide range of conditions and securely unlock the phone, as has long been rumored.
But the latest leak goes well beyond supply chain rumors: Apple's own HomePod firmware refers to a feature codenamed "Pearl ID," which includes "FaceDetect" references. Various errors found in the code include a face that is too close or too far from the camera, and conditions for timeouts, multiple faces, and much more.
In addition, a rough outline of the new iPhone form factor was also discovered in the HomePod firmware. It shows a largely bezel-less handset lacking a home button, with an indentation in the display at the top for the earpiece and camera array.
The outline shown in the leak is consistent with previous leaks that are expected to show the design of the forthcoming handset.
The firmware indicates that the bezel-less "iPhone 8" is identified as "D22."
In addition, developer Guilherme Rambo also discovered a reference to an "iPhone9,9" model, which could be the anticipated "iPhone 7s." In all, Apple is expected to introduce three new iPhones this fall: A flagship "iPhone 8" with an edge-to-edge OLED display, and an "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 7s Plus" that will feature largely the same design as the current iPhone 7 series.
All three handsets are expected to be unveiled by Apple at a media presentation in September, which is the company's usual timeframe for introducing new handsets. However, the "iPhone 8" is rumored to cost more than $1,000 and could be limited in supply, due to a number of advanced technologies expected to be included in the device, which has led to some commentators referring to the device as an "iPhone Pro."
Given its expected limited availability and premium pricing, observers believe the "iPhone 7s" may prove to be the most popular model with most consumers. That device is rumored to feature a faster processor, improved waterproofing, and inductive wireless charging.
As for the "iPhone 8," market watchers expect it may launch later than usual, in October or November. Beyond an edge-to-edge OLED display and new facial recognition technology, it is also expected to feature a vertical dual lens camera arrangement, and is rumored to bring about the end of the physical home button.
Screenshot via developer Steven Troughton-Smith.
The details hidden within the software for Apple's upcoming Siri-enabled speaker were published by developer Steven Troughton-Smith on Sunday. It reveals that the upcoming flagship "iPhone 8" will include infrared technology to recognize a user's face in a wide range of conditions and securely unlock the phone, as has long been rumored.
But the latest leak goes well beyond supply chain rumors: Apple's own HomePod firmware refers to a feature codenamed "Pearl ID," which includes "FaceDetect" references. Various errors found in the code include a face that is too close or too far from the camera, and conditions for timeouts, multiple faces, and much more.
In addition, a rough outline of the new iPhone form factor was also discovered in the HomePod firmware. It shows a largely bezel-less handset lacking a home button, with an indentation in the display at the top for the earpiece and camera array.
Image credit: Nodus and Gordon Kelly
The outline shown in the leak is consistent with previous leaks that are expected to show the design of the forthcoming handset.
The firmware indicates that the bezel-less "iPhone 8" is identified as "D22."
In addition, developer Guilherme Rambo also discovered a reference to an "iPhone9,9" model, which could be the anticipated "iPhone 7s." In all, Apple is expected to introduce three new iPhones this fall: A flagship "iPhone 8" with an edge-to-edge OLED display, and an "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 7s Plus" that will feature largely the same design as the current iPhone 7 series.
All three handsets are expected to be unveiled by Apple at a media presentation in September, which is the company's usual timeframe for introducing new handsets. However, the "iPhone 8" is rumored to cost more than $1,000 and could be limited in supply, due to a number of advanced technologies expected to be included in the device, which has led to some commentators referring to the device as an "iPhone Pro."
Given its expected limited availability and premium pricing, observers believe the "iPhone 7s" may prove to be the most popular model with most consumers. That device is rumored to feature a faster processor, improved waterproofing, and inductive wireless charging.
As for the "iPhone 8," market watchers expect it may launch later than usual, in October or November. Beyond an edge-to-edge OLED display and new facial recognition technology, it is also expected to feature a vertical dual lens camera arrangement, and is rumored to bring about the end of the physical home button.
Comments
Wow! A new one!! iPhone with an 8 inch screen!!
It's found all through the code, along with the familiar "TouchID".
As long as the UI doesn't try to uglily mimic them.
How does one arrive at the level of specificity in the second diagram based on a what is the equivalent of a stick-figure drawing in the first diagram? Yeah, until folding or roll-up devices arrive there's only so many things that can be done with a rectangular slab with rounded corners. But I also know from having done it that software/firmware developers often create their own generic placeholder images that are either for internal-only consumption or stand-ins for ones that will supplied later by professional artists or UI designers. This is after all firmware for a smart speaker device that has no built-in UI (that we know of). Speculation is fun, but it's still speculation, until the curtain is rolled back in September by Apple execs.
Shared code bases. It will have plenty of Touch ID code even though it doesn't support that version of biometric authentication.
Apple had better hope this isn't the case. iPhone sales have stagnated since the release of the iPhone 6 and the 7s looks like another warmed-over rehash of that design with inductive charging as the main new feature. Tim Cook has blamed the anticipation of the new design of the iPhone 8 as having a direct cause on the drop in quarterly sales of the iPhone. The iPhone 7s isn't going to satiate the demands of the customers who are looking for a fresh design, and if the iPhone 8 is priced so high as to make it so undesirable that a four-year-old design is more popular I think that will reflect poor sales of the 8 as opposed to great sales of the 7s. You simply aren't going to have a lot of people who say "I really wanted the new design, but I'll settle for a rehash of what I've already got." I certainly don't see a big exodus to the Galaxy S8, but I do see quite a few users who already have a 6 or 6s skipping the upgrade cycle this time around with the expectations the 8s next year will be more competitive as Apple deprecates the LCD models.