Apple’s forthcoming smartphone is all set to be released in the Q4 of 2016, while iPhone 7 rumors regarding its price, specs and release date have been flooding the web for months now.
One of the hottest pieces of info that have been whispered since November, is the omission of the 3.5mm headphone jack that has been serving the series since its inception back in 2007.
Instead, it will be supplanted by the Lightning Port, which until the 6S was being used exclusively for charging purposes.
Furthermore, on that particular basis, it appears that Cupertino will hold back with Smart Connector this year as well.
Smart Connector we hardly knew ye?
In case you are not familiar, Smart Connector was originally introduced with the recently released iPad Pro, and it enables the Lightning Port to be the power source for various accessories; such as third party keyboards and wireless headphones, both of which won’t need their own batteries to operate, thanks to this feature.
The Smart Connector is identifiable by the three aligned dots located on the rear of the device.
News suggesting the specific exclusion initially came from Japanese blog MacOtakara, which has proven its accuracy multiple times in the past, claiming that despite early rumors and prototypes, evidently Smart Connector won’t be featured in the final product of the 2016 iPhone.
iPhone 7 Design — Same old Story?
This year’s iteration belongs to the point of the cycle where it is expected to bring a revamped design, substantially different from the former two generations. Cupertino has been consistent with this tactic since the iPhone 3Gs, launched in 2009.
With that in mind, recently surfaced reports suggest that the company will be maintaining the fundamental aesthetics found in the iPhone 6 and 6S, while ditching an all new design for the iPhone 7.
It is also worth adding that the aforementioned design speculation is enforced by another rumor, reporting that Cupertino has no substantial plans of making use of the additional space provided by the dismissal of the 3.5mm headphone jack; whether that is extra battery juice or a second speak grill.
The specific rumor does sound a tad peculiar, hence, we shall see how it plays out in the coming weeks.
Moreover, the iPhone 7 release date is expected to take place during the special iPhone launch event, sometime in September.