Rumor: iPad Pro Smart Connector included on 'iPhone 8,' to be used for AR, charging
A new rumor, possibly recycled from 2016, claims that the Apple Smart Connector, or a variant thereof, will appear on the iPhone 8 and will be utilized for charging the device, plus potential AR and VR applications.
The connector's inclusion is predicted in a new report from Israeli site The Verifier, with claims that it somehow will be utilized to facilitate wireless charging somehow as well. It is not clear what peripherals will be connected to the Smart Connector, or derivation thereof, to facilitate Apple's augmented reality or virtual reality ambitions.
The magnetic Smart Connector debuted on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2015. It has been used for keyboards, and little else -- but is able to charge the device. How much data can pass through it per second is not known.
Apple's Smart Connector magnet strength by itself isn't particularly great. In all likelihood, peripherals intended for peripherals surrounding activity, like those for AR and VR, will need to attach to the iPhone in some other fashion -- which begs the question to why not just use the relatively speedy Lightning port.
In April 2016, the then forthcoming iPhone 7 was said to have the connector. It appeared on many "leaked" schematics, but never materialized.
The Verifier is a new publication, and in 2017 has predicted changes in the forthcoming "iOS 11" including FaceTime group calling, and Siri iMessage integration.
Apple's "iPhone 8" is expected to be revealed alongside the "iPhone 7s" family in the fall of 2017, and use a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED panel with a 5.1-inch practical area, the rest being dedicated to virtual buttons. Other features rumored to be included in the device are a 3D facial scanner, and other sensors embedded in the front glass of the device.
Friday's report is the first to suggest that the Smart Connector will appear on the "iPhone 8."
The connector's inclusion is predicted in a new report from Israeli site The Verifier, with claims that it somehow will be utilized to facilitate wireless charging somehow as well. It is not clear what peripherals will be connected to the Smart Connector, or derivation thereof, to facilitate Apple's augmented reality or virtual reality ambitions.
The magnetic Smart Connector debuted on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2015. It has been used for keyboards, and little else -- but is able to charge the device. How much data can pass through it per second is not known.
Apple's Smart Connector magnet strength by itself isn't particularly great. In all likelihood, peripherals intended for peripherals surrounding activity, like those for AR and VR, will need to attach to the iPhone in some other fashion -- which begs the question to why not just use the relatively speedy Lightning port.
In April 2016, the then forthcoming iPhone 7 was said to have the connector. It appeared on many "leaked" schematics, but never materialized.
The Verifier is a new publication, and in 2017 has predicted changes in the forthcoming "iOS 11" including FaceTime group calling, and Siri iMessage integration.
Apple's "iPhone 8" is expected to be revealed alongside the "iPhone 7s" family in the fall of 2017, and use a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED panel with a 5.1-inch practical area, the rest being dedicated to virtual buttons. Other features rumored to be included in the device are a 3D facial scanner, and other sensors embedded in the front glass of the device.
Friday's report is the first to suggest that the Smart Connector will appear on the "iPhone 8."
Comments
No way Apple will officially call it the "iPhone 8."
And, if it really will be called "iPhone Edition," I expect it to only be made in one color.
White ceramic back, white bezel on the front screen (or possibly no bezel at all).
To match the Watch Edition.
One possible use for the smart connector on the iPhone would be to provide power to smart covers for the iPhone that support a secondary always-on display, something along the lines of color e-ink to display clock, notification summary, alarms, etc. Adding solar charging capability to the aforementioned Smart Cover would be kind of cool too.
It would allow for some interesting case accessories. Battery cases that don't have chins. Clamshell (wallet style) cases with keyboards or secondary screens, or other active function. Cases that have bigger speakers in them.
I think for Apple to release a full AR headset, it must be a pair of glasses that look and behave just like a regular pair of glasses. No heavy clunky shit. Nobody from the outside would tell the difference at first glance.
If the magnet port is involved, I'd imagine it being for power, in order to keep the weight of the AR glasses down. But I have a hard time seing how that port could communicate fast enough for high resolution AR video. The video I believe muste be generated with an on-board processor.
I'm typically imagining AR like the full Hololens kind of experience. But what if it's more like for displaying information, communication and not the full 3D "VR" experience? Then a much simpler graphics chip would do. It's not as fun. But perhaps, as long as it's not 4K per eye full 3D, full field of view - regular 720p per eye with a smaller field of view could do fine? At least if it turnes out useful.
So, I can't read Hebrew. Are they seriously going with the location in the images on the website? As I said last year, that's not a good position for the Smart Connector. I don't see Apple putting it anywhere other than on an edge, which on something the size of the phone causes problems. (As does the use of magnets in the connector itself.)
If they were to do it on an "Edition" phone (or iPhone 8 or X or...) then maybe they'll move the volume and lock buttons to fit the connector on the left side. Or maybe they'll even get rid of the Lightning connector and replace it with a Smart Connector. (If they do that, I expect they'll bundle AirPods with the phone, pushing the price up.)
I'm not inclined to believe it at this point though. And I won't believe any render where it's in the middle of the back of the phone.