Apple Loop: iPhone 8 'Confirmed', iPhone 7 Leak Reveals U-Turn, iOS 10 Secret Features

Taking a look back at another week of news from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes thoughts on Apple removing the headphone jack, the new dark mode in iOS 10, OLED technology for the iPhone 8, speculation over a new iPod Touch, the unencrypted iOS kernel, a closer look at macOS, Indian Apple Store issues, and social media shortcuts.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read the weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

A Common Sense U-Turn On Headphones?

Thanks to the avalanche of leaks and hot takes, everyone has been expecting Apple to launch the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus without the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. The idea is that Tim Cook and his team will push consumers to bluetooth-enabled headphones or those with Apple’s proprietary lightning connector, and in exchange the new iPhone could be designed to be ‘the thinnest ever’. Has there been a last-minute change? Forbes’ Gordon Kelly reports on the thoughts of Mac Otakara:

“At Computex Taipei 2016, many manufacturers showcased their new Lightning audio adaptors, and it seems there has been rumors that the headphones to be included with the new iPhone 7 series will still come with its own headphone jack as usual, and that a Lightning headphone jack adaptor will also be included in the package.”

Interestingly, Mac Otakara also backs up the recent talk of a second set of speakers being added to the top of the phone. The site claims this will be a “monaural system” – aka single channel mono, as opposed to stereo output.

More thoughts here on Forbes, and it’s also worth noting M.G. Siegler’s requiem for the headphone jack.

iPhone 8 concept (image: uSwitch.com)

Blacker Than Black, But A Year Early

One feature that now looks like it could show up in the iPhone 7 is the ‘dark mode’ theme. The code has been found in the developer release of iOS 10. It’s a cute look for this year’s smartphone, but its real benefit will be with the OLED screen that many believe will debut on the iPhone 8 in 2017:

Unlike an LCD screen where there is an all-over backlight that is ‘masked out’ to create a black pixel, each pixel on an OLED display is individually lit. Because they are unlit, black pixels are more energy-efficient than white pixels. Android smartphone users with OLED displays already know this, and with Apple’s continued belief that consumers want thin devices, battery capacity will be at a premium.

The saving in using dark mode on the first iPhone to use OLED technology will be immense, and I would expect that increase in usable time to be promoted heavily on stage. Who doesn’t want more power?

Once more, an Apple feature is going to create demand for the 2017 handset, and will diminish the attractiveness of the 2016 handset. Time to look up the Osborne Effect again, especially wihen when you consider the shape of that OLED screen.

Everything That Is Not Arriving In This Year’s iPhone

Taking another look at the rumors and leaks around the OLED screen, The Wall Street Journal’s Daisuke Wakabayashi and Eva Dou confirm not only the OLED screen, but also the rest of the technology that will be arriving not this year, but next year. Gordon Kelly looks at the leaks:

“Apple plans bigger design changes for 2017, the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. Those changes could include an edge-to-edge organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, screen and eliminating the home button by building the fingerprint sensor into the display, according to people familiar with the matter.”

Apple iPod Touch 6th Generation, 2015 (image: Ewan Spence)

Apple Preparing For A New iPod Touch

Apple’s latest trademark application extends the reach of the iPod to a number of new areas, including fitness, security, and wearables. While there are many options, it feels like a new iPod Touch would be the logical hardware for these new features to appear in. TouchID was not present on last year’s revamped iPod Touch, and Apple Health could benefit from more sensors in the multimedia player:

But it’s the expansion of the iPod Touch that has me exited. Apple’s current strategy does feel like trying to cover every single part of the price range with a device without diluting the status of the Apple brand. The iPod Touch sits above the Nano and below the iPhone SE as a standalone product, and stands on its own as a rather overpowered accessory.

Source:Forbes.com