The next iPhone will likely keep the 3.5mm audio jack and will see a significant upsize on the battery. Meanwhile, as preparation is now underway for the iPhone 7 release date Apple has reportedly reduced its iPhone 6S production while dialing up on future SE shipments.
Legacy audio jack lives
Contrary to circulating rumors, Apple appears not yet ready to kill the headphone jack for the next iPhone unboxing. Apple Insider reported that blog site NowhereElse.fr has picked up a Weibo post that claimed the traditional sound port will still be part of the iPhone 7 rollout.
"A new part from China claimed to be for the iPhone 7 depicts space for a 3.5-millimeter input ... The cable ... was posted to Chinese microblogging site Weibo. It shows a layout largely similar to the cable for Apple's iPhone 6s, and includes space for both the Lightning port and a headphone jack," the report said.
The leak runs in counter with the prevailing rumors that for the next iPhone Apple will ditch the aging audio connectivity technology and in its stead the tech giant will provide a wired headphone that can be hooked up through the Lightning port. Or users can pick the optional Apple Bluetooth headset that will debut with the iPhone 7.
1735mAH and 2810mAh battery packs
And likely to end up as key hardware upgrade for the 2016 iPhones is a bigger battery, which in the case of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 is a1735mAh battery pack, 9to5Mac reported. For the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus (rumored to be rebranded as iPhone Pro), the battery is a massive 2810mAh battery, at least in Apple's standard. The 6S and 6S Plus were deployed packing 1715mAh and 2750mAh battery packs, respectively.
But how far the extended battery hours will reach will greatly depend on the tweaks that Apple will implement on the duo of IOS 10 and A10 chip, which will serve as the next iPhone main engine.
iPhone SE and 6S shipment/production adjustments
Yet before the iPhone 7 will touchdown, supply chain updates from Asia indicate that as part of the soon-to-start mass production for the next iPhone Apple has make adjustments on the production and shipment levels of the iPhone SE and 6S. The 4-inch device will see an uptick beginning in Q2 2016 and onwards to the remaining months of the year, MacRumors said. Apparently, this is in response to the increasing demands for the smallest of the current iPhones, which reportedly is constantly in stock out status.
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus production, on the other hand, has been significantly reduced and likely for two key reasons. One is that demand is on the decline, as evident in the latest Apple earnings report, and the tech giant is now all geared to start the wholesale assembly of the iPhone 7, the release date of which could come as early as August 2016.