Smartphones And Mobiles
According to the latest rumours, the iPhone 7 may have a wraparound screen, be waterproof and sport an Intel chip
Waterproof design
Several sites, including Apple Insider, note that the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus have significantly greater water resistance than their predecessors, including a 0.3mm wider 'lip' around the frame and a silicone seal around the logic boards. Some tech experts believe that the changes may foreshadow a completely waterproof iPhone 7 in 2016.
Wireless charging
Apple is behind the curve on this one, as Samsung, Sony and LG have already released phones that charge without needing to be plugged in, but patent applications published yesterday by the US Patent and Trademark Office indicate that the California-based technology company may finally be preparing to incorporate wireless charging into its next generation phones.
Previously, Apple phones haven't been able to recharge without being plugged in because, until recently, wireless charging devices couldn't power batteries through the iPhone's aluminium case.
Wireless-charging handsets from other companies have tended to be made of plastic so that power can reach their batteries.
But in July this year, Qualcomm unveiled a new wireless charger that works through metals, International Business Times reports, paving the way for Apple to be able to utilise the technology.
Apple's patent for 'Inductive Power Transfer Using Acoustic or Haptic Devices' appears to use a new metal coil which has a double function - in one mode the coil produces sound for the iPhone's speakers, and in another it can charge the phone wirelessly.
Wraparound screen
On 29 September, Apple filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for what it calls "sidewall displays", [1]International Business Times reports.
The image accompanying the patent shows a phone with a screen that stretches all the way around the device.
Apple says that the reason for the patent is that many mobile devices on the market have come to feature a very similar design which makes no use of their side or rear surfaces.
"A large majority of portable electronic devices have settled into a standard form factor," Apple says in its patent, "namely a flat planar form factor with a display on one side and an opaque housing that contains the electrical components covering the rear surface of the device.
"Unfortunately, this popular form factor leaves the sides and rear surfaces of the device unused or at best configured with buttons and switches with fixed location and functionality."
The patent says that there is "a need for an improved form factor for portable electronic devices which allows functionality to extend to more than one surface of the device."
So perhaps the company is paving the way for a new wraparound display.
Intel inside?
According to a report by VentureBeat, the next generation of Apple iPhones could be powered by an Intel chip. The report claims that the chip manufacturer Intel has a team of 1,000 workers trying to ensure that Qualcomm, the company behind the A9 chip used in Apple's current phones, is ousted before the next devices come to market.
Nothing is signed yes, the site says, and it is possible that Apple may choose to use two suppliers for its chips rather than just one: "Apple may dual-source the LTE modems in its new iPhones from both Intel and Qualcomm. Today, Qualcomm?s 9X45 LTE chip is baked into all iPhone modems."
When mobile technology was in its infancy, Intel failed to adapt to the changing market and missed out on partnerships with some major manufacturers, so "This is a must-win for Intel," a source told VentureBeat.
If a partnership does come about, then sources say that Apple "could turn to Intel to build a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) in the future, which combines both the processor and LTE modem." This would help to save space and make the phone run faster
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Smartphones And Mobiles
Apple iPhone 7: Leaks, Features, Release Date
According to the latest rumours, the iPhone 7 may have a wraparound screen, be waterproof and sport an Intel chip
Credits
Sahanan Yogarasa
Description
Designing a new iPhone is an irresistible challenge for many budding artists engineers. Sahanan Yogarasa's design is closer in shape to the iPhone 6, but slimmer and sleeker. Others have been much more adventurous.
The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus models may have only recently reached the hands of customers, but already rumours about next year's iPhone 7 are beginning to circulate.
According to KnowYourMobile.com, Apple has "big plans" for the iPhone 7. So what will the next device be like?
No home button
Designer Hasan Kaymak put together a concept video for the iPhone 7 which features a number of tantalising ideas, including the notion that Apple might do away with the home button completely on its forthcoming model. This makes room for a completely edge-to-edge display, meaning that the phone will have no wasted space on its front face.
Waterproof design
Several sites, including Apple Insider, note that the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus have significantly greater water resistance than their predecessors, including a 0.3mm wider 'lip' around the frame and a silicone seal around the logic boards. Some tech experts believe that the changes may foreshadow a completely waterproof iPhone 7 in 2016.
Wireless charging
Apple is behind the curve on this one, as Samsung, Sony and LG have already released phones that charge without needing to be plugged in, but patent applications published yesterday by the US Patent and Trademark Office indicate that the California-based technology company may finally be preparing to incorporate wireless charging into its next generation phones.
Previously, Apple phones haven't been able to recharge without being plugged in because, until recently, wireless charging devices couldn't power batteries through the iPhone's aluminium case.
Wireless-charging handsets from other companies have tended to be made of plastic so that power can reach their batteries.
But in July this year, Qualcomm unveiled a new wireless charger that works through metals, International Business Times reports, paving the way for Apple to be able to utilise the technology.
Apple's patent for 'Inductive Power Transfer Using Acoustic or Haptic Devices' appears to use a new metal coil which has a double function - in one mode the coil produces sound for the iPhone's speakers, and in another it can charge the phone wirelessly.
Wraparound screen
On 29 September, Apple filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for what it calls "sidewall displays", [1]International Business Times reports.
The image accompanying the patent shows a phone with a screen that stretches all the way around the device.
Apple says that the reason for the patent is that many mobile devices on the market have come to feature a very similar design which makes no use of their side or rear surfaces.
"A large majority of portable electronic devices have settled into a standard form factor," Apple says in its patent, "namely a flat planar form factor with a display on one side and an opaque housing that contains the electrical components covering the rear surface of the device.
"Unfortunately, this popular form factor leaves the sides and rear surfaces of the device unused or at best configured with buttons and switches with fixed location and functionality."
The patent says that there is "a need for an improved form factor for portable electronic devices which allows functionality to extend to more than one surface of the device."
So perhaps the company is paving the way for a new wraparound display.
Intel inside?
According to a report by VentureBeat, the next generation of Apple iPhones could be powered by an Intel chip. The report claims that the chip manufacturer Intel has a team of 1,000 workers trying to ensure that Qualcomm, the company behind the A9 chip used in Apple's current phones, is ousted before the next devices come to market.
Nothing is signed yes, the site says, and it is possible that Apple may choose to use two suppliers for its chips rather than just one: "Apple may dual-source the LTE modems in its new iPhones from both Intel and Qualcomm. Today, Qualcomm?s 9X45 LTE chip is baked into all iPhone modems."
When mobile technology was in its infancy, Intel failed to adapt to the changing market and missed out on partnerships with some major manufacturers, so "This is a must-win for Intel," a source told VentureBeat.
If a partnership does come about, then sources say that Apple "could turn to Intel to build a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) in the future, which combines both the processor and LTE modem." This would help to save space and make the phone run faster
Conclusion
The result is that while the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are excellent, they can occasionally be frustrating to use, particularly if you are out of range of a power socket for long periods of time. Nevertheless, says Forbes, "for those where money isn't an object and charging cables are plentiful, the iPhone 6S seems to be worth the upgrade".
Image 3 of26
Credits
Jan-Willem Reusink
Description
The finish of the model is in keeping with the new Apple MacBooks, although the laptops incorporate more curves.
Which iPhone 6S should I buy?
If you know that the iPhone 6S is for you, there are three main decisions to make before lining up outside the Apple Store.
Colour
Apple has added an extra colour to the iPhone 6S range: rose gold, which to most eyes looks like metallic pink. "Apple might insist on calling it rose gold," says Mashable. "But we know the truth. It's pink." The three other colours are space grey (black front and dark silver back), silver (light silver back and white front) and gold (which, like its pink sibling, also has a white front).
iPhone 6S or 6S Plus?
The standard-sized 6S has a 4.7-inch screen, making it bigger than any previous iPhone, but the 6S Plus weighs in at a whopping 5.5 inches. For some that's too big to carry comfortably, but for others the extra screen space is worth the inconvenience. There is a second reason to opt for the 6S Plus: its better battery life. While both iPhone 6S models come with smaller batteries than their predecessors (see above), the larger frame of the 5.5-inch model gives Apple the space to cram in more battery capacity. As a result, the 6S Plus should be more than capable of lasting the day on a single charge, while the smaller 6S may be struggling by tea-time.
Memory size
How much memory you need will depend on how you plan to use your iPhone 6S, and particularly whether it will be your primary store of music, video and photographs. But one piece of advice has united reviewers: don't buy the 16GB model, which will quickly run out of space. In fact, says The Guardian's Samuel Gibbs, "Apple shouldn't be selling a 16GB iPhone 6S or 6S Plus." Even last year many critics argued that the entry-level model was under-endowed with memory, but the increased camera resolution, which leads to significantly larger photo and video files, has rendered 16GB impractical for all but the most restrained of smartphone photographers.
Or plump for an iPhone 6 instead
For those who are new to Apple or upgrading from an iPhone 5S or older, it's worth considering another option. If 3D Touch and a 12-megapixel camera are surplus to your requirements, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus remain excellent smartphones, and they're now significantly cheaper. A 16GB iPhone 6S comes in at £459, £80 cheaper than it was a couple of weeks ago (and £80 cheaper than the equivalent iPhone 6S). A similar discount applies across the 6S and 6S Plus model range.
While some might interpret a significant number of people shunning the iPhone 6S in favour of last year's model as a failure for Apple, the company may not see it that way.
"Higher demand for the older models (which aren't supply constrained) could actually help Apple beat its sales record from the holiday quarter last year, when the iPhone 6 and especially the iPhone 6 Plus were in short supply all quarter," says tech news site BGR.
And although they are being sold more cheaply, the production costs will have dropped over time as the price of components fall. Maintaining demand for the older models may therefore help Apple to keep sales volumes high without putting much of a dent in its profit margins.
iPhone 6S offers 'higher resale value'
Apple's new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus offer better value to customers and will have an improved lifespan than their predecessors, new research has found, suggesting that the devices will also have higher resale value.
In a "teardown test", where a device is stripped down to its component parts and valued, IHS Technology found that Apple has incorporated parts worth $16 (£10.50) more in its iPhone 6S Plus 16GB than the equivalent iPhone 6 Plus.
This means that the device could last longer, says tech site CNet, and will likely sell for more money second-hand.
"With each generation [Apple] makes measured, incremental technology improvements to its iPhone line, and this time around those changes are increasing Apple's per-unit material cost," says Andrew Rassweiler, senior director of cost benchmarking services for IHS Technology.
The upshot is that if you are worried about the longevity of your phone, you should "worry no more", says CNet's Luke Lancaster, "because Apple is paying more to put its new iPhones together, and a longer lifespan and improved resale value seem to be the name of the game."
Apple has also improved the new phones' water resistance, according to Apple Insider. While the company hasn't been advertising it, the new models have a 0.3mm wider 'lip' around their frame which may help hold out liquid.
"One-third of a millimeter may not seem like much, but given how tight the iPhone's tolerances are nowadays, the change is big enough to see with the naked eye," repair experts iFixit said. "And it's almost certainly enough of a change that other components had to be subtly tweaked to match. Make no mistake, Apple gave this careful thought."
Apple has also encased its phones' logic boards in a silicone seal, protecting the battery, display, buttons and Lightning port from exposure to water damage.
Some experts believe that the changes to the iPhone 6S foreshadow more significant design shifts being incorporated into next-year's iPhone 7.
According to Apple Insider: "prototype next-generation iPhones feature design improvements intended to keep out both water and dust, suggesting Apple is toying with a more 'ruggedised' handset for a 2016 refresh."
iPhone 6S price and launch date
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are now available to pre-order from the Apple website for delivery on or after 25 September, when they will also be on sale in Apple Stores and other high-street stockists.
Source: http://www.theweek.co.uk/
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While Apple isn't always super forthcoming about the specs of its handsets, it does at least tend to fill you in on their features, but with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus it neglected to mention one - the fact that it can play 4K videos. Tuaw.com reports...
- Iphone 6 5.5-inch Could Hit This Year After All
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