“The Japanese site Mac Otakara says the upcoming iPhone 7 (the mock-up is courtesy of iPhone-Tricks.com) will sport a Smart Connector, which could mean a Smart Keyboard for the next gen Apple smartphone,” Dennis Sellers reports for Apple World Today.
“If you compare iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, there is no difference in size,” Mac Otakara reports. “The headphone jack will disappear but it is expected that the speaker will remain monoaural.”
Appel’s iPad Pro models (9.7inch and 12.9-inch) use the Smart Connector, a magnetic connection that provides data transfer and power, in conjunction with Apple’s Smart Keyboard for each device.
See the images in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Smart Connector charging? That’d solve the issue of how to charge your iPhone while using the Lightning port for wired earphones, wouldn’t it?
SEE ALSO:
What Smart Connector charging could mean for the ‘iPhone 7’ and beyond – April 26, 2016
Waterproof.
Smart Connector.
Faster processor.
More RAM?
Better Camera
No headphone Jack
Sounds like a darn good upgrade for people with iPhone 5 models and back. Not so much for people with iPhone 6 and up. It will likely be a bit faster with 7s. But I’m already wondering about the 8s, and the 9s. When will there be a significant design change? Or when will the cumulative changes equate to a new model?
What kind of “significant design change” are you expecting? The original iPhone got rid of the physical keyboard in favor of a touch-based interface and streamlined the cell phone down to a (larger) display attached to a chassis with a few buttons. Internally, modern cell phones are mostly batteries.
Apple is slowly getting rid of buttons and minimizing connectors. But there will be no radical change in cell phone design until there is a radical change in the user interface and input/output. I am not sure what people are expecting in the near term.
Think we are at a point where smartphones are entering the “feature creep” stage of yearly enhancements.
At some point consumers are going to value durability & longevity more than anything else. Who wants to cough up $600+ every 2-3 years. A phone can and has lasted for 6 years. We have several 3GS phones that do just fine, so we know it is possible.
Techies may enjoy “the latest,” but as you get older, other characteristics matter more than bragging rights.
So we can all run out and buy a new set of chargers and cables yet again.
Jump to conclusions much? This is just a rumor so far, and even if true there is no reason to think a new charger or cable will be required. The smart connector connector might have a lightning port.
My guess: If it has the Smart Connector, Apple will provide an iPhone dock to which one can connect a power cable and monitor. Keyboard = bluetooth or wired. Same for mouse, if desired. The dock will hold the phone horizontally so it can be used as a track pad (with force touch) in this configuration. When connected this way, iOS software will morph to take advantage of trackpad/keyboard/mouse. I don’t know if the monitor would have touch capability or not. After all, Shiller did emphasize that iPhone now has a “desktop class processor” and the next generation processor in the new iPhone will really be something, I’m sure. So individuals and particularly corporate employees will be able to do all their mobile and desktop computing with their iPhone as long as they are not one of the few that need graphic cards, lots of RAM, very high-end performance, etc. Wouldn’t that save money, IT support investment, desk real estate, etc. and be just one more transformational, paradigm-shifting move by Apple? Apple would be fearlessly setting the stage for the Mac to gradually go the way of the iPod via cannibalization by another (higher margin) Apple product. Just like Siri, I can’t wait!
Of course, iPads with Smart Connectors could gain such a dock as well.
I’m certain the iPhone 7 will have an optical, 16-lane, PCI Express Gen 4 interface connector.
Another unneccesary money grab. I will keep my iphone 6 and my 800.00 molded in ear monitors. By the way the BBE app for 2.99 is essential if you listen to music ripped or from itunes.
Yawn. I’ll believe the iPhone 7 when I see it. Until then:
~vaporous vomitus~