Japanese newspaper Nikkei reports that Apple will be moving to a three year refresh cycle for its iPhone rather than the usual tick-tock cycle.
Apple will likely take three years between full-model changes of its iPhone devices, a year longer than the current cycle. In a typical two-year term, fall 2016 was supposed to see a major upgrade. But the changes on the model to be launched this autumn will be minor, such as improved camera quality.
The report says this is due to two factors:
The move is largely due to smartphone functions having little room left for major enhancements. A slowing market is another factor.
However, there is a high chance that this report is purely based on speculation as it does not cite any supply chain sources. Though, saying that the iPhone 7 ‘will look almost identical to the current iPhone 6′ corroborates with previous reports saying that we’ll be seeing a much smaller external change.
The new version slated for this autumn will look almost identical to the current iPhone 6. Functions such as the camera, water resistance and battery capacity will likely be improved, and the headphone jack will be removed. Also, a high-end version of the model will give users better-quality photo capabilities via correction functions.
Whether this years iPhone is dubbed iPhone 7, iPhone 6SE, or iPhone 6s 2, we’re expecting a much smaller exterior, with the removal of the headphone jack, four-speaker audio, and a dual-camera lens on the 5.5-inch model.
