Gadget of the Week – Getting to the Core of Apple’s iPhone 7

Published on February 24, 2016

Back in January, when soothsayers made their predictions as to what the year would hold, they all agreed on four things: That we would hold a Presidential election (don’t get us started); that the first night of Hanukkah would fall on Christmas Eve, and the last night of Hanukkah would fall on the first night of Kwanzaa (cool); and that gas prices would either rise or fall (amazingly, they were right).

And the last prediction? That Apple would introduce a new iPhone, possibly the biggest no-brainer of the bunch since the company has done this nearly every year since the first generation in 2008. Some models have been met with less-than-great results (we’re talking to you, 5s), while others have been fervently anticipated, caused a media frenzy, resulted in massive back-orders and, for all intents and purposes, Changed Life As We Know It (hello, iPhone 6 and 6s, even with your charging bug).

First iPhone 7 Rumor: Announcement in March?

The announcement of iPhone 7 may happen in March in anticipation of the introduction in September. This has been Apple’s marketing MO for years. But it’s speculation, just one of the many rumors swirling around this new mobile. The most persistent rumor is that in its effort to make the iPhone 7 as slim as possible, Apple will eliminate the 3.5 mm headphone jack. While the company wouldn’t be the first to do this -- that was T-Mobile’s Android-based G1 back in 2008 – given Apple’s size and influence it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on other manufacturers.

What will this mean for the music enthusiast who has a favorite of headphones? Or someone who drives in states where holding a phone to your ear is illegal, and uses a wired headset to comply? There are two possibilities:

• The iPhone 7 might ship with Lightning-connected EarPods or wireless, Bluetooth-enabled EarPods. Note that last year Apple introduced the MFI specification for Lightning-based headphones – setting the stage, perhaps?
• Apple could ship a low-cost headset jack-to-Lightning dongle.

Of course, the phone will unquestionably be Bluetooth-enabled, so your existing Bluetooth headsets and in-car integrations will work as they have in recent years. 

But Wait - Hold the Phone

There are a couple of rumors that, while they wouldn’t change Life As We Know It, would be pretty cool.

• The iPhone 7 may be waterproof, great news for those of us who have ever dropped our phones in a bathtub (just saying).
• The new audio system will work with the new earphones to block out background sounds, great for listening to music or - wait for it - actually talking on the phone.

As always with an Apple introduction, rumors and speculation run rampant. Many are leaked by the company itself to create buzz. But those listed above seem to be the most consistent of the rumors. There are others swirling about, but they are easy to debunk; it does not seem likely the phone will cook your dinner or wash your windows. For that, we'll probably have to wait for the iPhone 8.