Apple is expected to ship three models of iPhone in 2017, according to the latest rumours.
According to Japanese blog Macotakara, the three Apple smartphones will include an iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus – and an iPhone 8.
Unfortunately, the report goes on to flesh-out some details about the former, which, honestly, does not sound all that great.
According to Macotakara, the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus will be unveiled with a next-generation processor capable of faster speeds – as well as a new red case colour.
The red aluminium finish will join the existing Black, Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver and Gold options.
Unlike previous rumours, sources speaking to Macotakara claim that the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will not boast new features like wireless charging or an all-glass design.
Instead, it will be a straightforward internal upgrade – moving from the current A10 chip to, presumably, the A11 chip – alongside a never-before-seen red colour option.
But that's about it.
Macotakara has a solid track record with these reports.
The Japanese technology blog was the first to claim Apple would drop the headphone port with the iPhone 7.
However, while the alleged details on the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus are far from thrilling – the third smartphone model Apple will purportedly release in September 2017 sounds anything but.
Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive wants the iPhone 8 "to appear like a single sheet of glass," according to The Wall Street Journal.
The radically redesigned iPhone 8 will reportedly ship with an OLED display – with glass that curves and wraps around the smartphone, like those pioneered by Samsung – and no physical Home Button.
Instead the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be embedded beneath the glass display.
Apple has already been granted multiple US patents, going back to March 2015, that describe three different technologies used to scan fingerprints, including one – dubbed ultrasonic imaging – that can be used to recognise a print through a glass display.
The patent suggests ultrasonic imaging is more accurate than using a standalone fingerprint sensor, like those in the Touch ID scanners used in current generation iPhones.
With the Home Button gone, Apple can extended the display to the bottom of the phone – reducing the chunky bezels around the screen, and shrinking the overall footprint of the device. The new iPhone is also expected to be modelled with an all-glass design, similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S.
This will allow Apple to distance itself from the curved aluminium design language it has used for the past three generations of iPhone, first introduced with iPhone 6.
Apple is expected to debut its new industrial design early next year with a refresh of its iPad range.
A report from reliable Japanese site Makotakara published earlier this month claims Apple is hard at work on a redesigned iPad Pro.
The new iPad, which could launch in the Spring, is expected to fit a large 10.9-inch high-resolution display into a tablet with the same footprint as the current-generation 9.7inch iPad.
To make room for the larger display, Apple is expected to reduce the bezels to razor-thin strips around the screen.
According to sources with knowledge of the upcoming iPad, Apple will remove the Home Button and reduce the bezels around the bezel – except for the bezel containing the FaceTime camera at the top of the tablet, which is said to remain.
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