Apple will commence the mass manufacture of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in June, setting off the release date for the devices that likely will end September 2016. But before the next iPhone debut, a significantly slimmed down Apple Watch 2 will hit stores right after the 2016 WWDC, also in June.
Notable Apple watcher Brian White of Drexel Hamilton reported this week that the iPhone 7 is all geared up for wholesale production, which the analyst said will begin no later than June. But before focusing on the replacement for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, the tech giant will first reveal key products via this year's WWDC.
The annual event, which MacRumors said will kick of June 13, is expected to unveil OS X 10.12 and the initial batch of devices that the software will run - the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks. However, White said that Apple will also intro its second generation of wearables called the Apple Watch 2. The analyst is convinced that the Apple smartwatch refresh will happen ahead of the next iPhone unboxing.
"The Apple Watch refresh will not occur in September with the iPhone 7, but is more likely to occur within the next 2-3 months, and thus we believe an unveiling at WWDC in June makes sense," White was quoted by the MacRumors report as saying.
The analyst did not mention any redesign or other upgrade details but he hinted that the "Apple Watch 2 could be 20-40% thinner than the current Apple Watch." White, MacRumors said, based his forecasts on information gathered while visiting Apple supply chain sites in China.
The analyst also provided updates on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, confirming the reports that Apple is looking to introduce the rumored dual-camera system with the 2016 iPhone series. The camera bump though is likely to be exclusive only for the 5.5-inch 7 Plus, which in recent notes issued by analysts is said to be lined up for rebranding. It will be known as iPhone Pro, apparently to highlight the phablet's near DSLR-class camera capabilities.
No other fresh iPhone 7 details were included in the Drexel Hamilton report but White revealed that the device is scheduled to begin mass production June. The actual release date should follow no later than September 2016 with both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus rocking fresh external design and powered by A10 chip and iOS 10.