ZDNet --- Every iPhone Spec and Rumor point to...

This article is really interesting -- something is up with the display. 

And if you knew it was out there, you could read this particular puzzle in a very different way.

If you don't care about Apple's display -- there's a lot about the invasion of the Chinese smartphones in here too.


ZDNet   (Much more at the source)

Perhaps Apple's iPhone 7 isn't just a smartphone, but part of an integrated system that is something else entirely? Meet iPhone 7 Pro, the VR machine.

This morning I read my ZDNet colleague Adrian Kingsley-Hughes' column regarding Apple's apparent uncaring attitude about the Android flagship smartphone competition's tech specs, particularly as it pertains to the rumors regarding what parts are going to make their way into the iPhone 7.

Essentially, he argues that the company is competing against no one, that they have such unflinching brand loyalty given that their customers are so addicted to their products, and thus they are in a position to not give a crap.

Fundamentally, I agree with this. I've written ad nauseum about the upstarts in China that are breathing down not only Apple's neck, but also Samsung's, by producing flagship quality hardware at a fraction of the price.

So if you look at Apple's growth numbers with iPhone, it doesn't look good. Combine this with industry margins on smartphones plummeting due to a Chinese commodity invasion, and Apple has reason to be concerned. But seemingly, they aren't. They seem overconfident.

That being said, if the upcoming iPhone 7 turns out to be evolutionary, I don't think this will be a successful product roll-out for the company. Then the overconfidence is simply arrogance, and Apple will be punished for it by an unforgiving market that is being disrupted by commoditization. 

However, as hard as I am on Apple's ongoing prospects as it relates to the four horsemen of the Chinese smartphone apocalypse, I suspect we are missing something important here.

Could it be that the iPhone 7 isn't just a smartphone, but part of an integrated system that is something else entirely?

There are two things in this particular product release that have caught my attention. First is that there have been no recent rumors at all about display technology used in the device. We've seen mockups of phones, so we know what the form factors look like.

An entertainment device that performs the function of a gaming machine and TV set? An Apple TV without a TV? One that can provide fully immersive experiences and exclusive content from virtually anywhere?

I don't know for certain that the iPhone 7 Pro is really a VR machine. But my gut says that Apple is looking to disrupt, and this could very well be the One More Thing the company is looking for to continue years of mobile industry dominance.

Three iPhone7 Variants

Source

Comparison to Motorola Mods.... something to watch

Something to watch...Smart Connectors -- iPhone7

Here's another something to watch.

There has been an absolute blizzard of rumors about the iPhone7 -- rumors on all sides of it, with a great deal of conflicting information. In past product cycles, when we're this close to the release, and photos like this are revealed there tends to be something to it.

"smart connectors" like this are found on the new component bearing Motorola phone. So, my guess is that this particular model of the iPhone would have similar components. (a guess, folks) 

The images also do NOT show the kind of home button that the Qualper phone has (Which was a theory based on a written description.)

To me, at this point, this is merely something that should be paid attention to.

Look at the bottom of the image on the right.

Apple Insider

From 9to5 Mac (more at the source.)

Tech for Nepal (schematics)

Motorola Phone MotomodsConnectors For comparison

Really interesting Foxconn comment

Wonder what changes in early 2017? 

I'll be watching this company, but that could be a very interesting timeline tell as well.

What does Terry Gou know?

Phone Arena  -- much more at the source.

As if we needed a reminder that Apple's iPhone sales are to remain soft this year despite the iPhone 7 launch, the CEO and chairman of Foxconn Terry Gou himself has reportedly chipped in on the matter. He reportedly told the staff to expect "feeble" iPhone sales at least until early 2017. Now, whether that's based on the order amount in the pipeline, or what he knows about the selling points of the upcoming iPhones, remains to be seen, but for Q1 Foxconn reported a 5.5% revenue drop year-on-year, despite a sudden order rush in April and May.

And WOW -- rumor mills hit now, that the greatest new feature of the new iPhone is that it will come in BLUE!  

Another source was more blunt in their assessment:s "Apple's resorting to colors instead of pursuing innovative features to boost sales shows that the company now has no way of breaking out of the current doldrums." As a reminder, Apple is said to introduce a new, "Deep Blue" color for the iPhone 7, a concept render of which you see in the header above.


Macrumors
Japanese website Nikkei is continuing the 2016 doom and gloom sentiment surrounding iPhone sales, reporting that an unnamed source has confirmed that sales figures and shipment numbers for Apple's smartphone lineup will see the first year-over-year decline since the iPhone debuted in 2007. The website cites "lukewarm demand for a new model" and a lack of innovation as the major reasons behind the predicted sales decline. 

Nikkei

"Hon Hai Precision Industry Chairman Terry Gou has told his staff that the demand for iPhones will remain feeble until at least early next year," a source said. Hon Hai, better known as Foxconn Technology Group, declined to comment.

Gou told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in China in late May that the company's overall orders were falling this year, although Foxconn did receive a sudden rush of orders in April and May. Foxconn makes about 70% of iPhones sold globally.

Hurry and apply to assemble the more complex iPhone7

Thanks Randy


MSN -- more at the source.

Apple's top Taiwanese suppliers have started mass hirings, with reports in Taiwan that the companies were recruiting staff in preparation for building the iPhone7 series.

Most reports have the release date in September.

iPhone 7 will have features "you can't live without"

I'm going to guess that elimination of the "antenna lines" isn't on the list of great features that we can't live without. 


Gizmodo India

Although there's still some time left for the unveiling of the Apple iPhone 7, the company CEO Tim Cook has already started talking it up. In an interview Jim Cramer of CNBC, Cook has mentioned that the iPhone 7 will be a force to reckon with later this year. 

He has claimed that the handset would feature "things that you can't live without", thus suggesting that there will be a bunch of new features with this year's iPhone refresh. 

MSN --- nothing here that's on the list of things we can't live without.


9to5Mac

In a TV interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer this week, Cook said the iPhone 7 will have a killer feature that would prove to be an upgrade customers won’t be able to resist. “We are going to give you things that you can’t live without that you just don’t know you need today,” Cook teased.

iPhone 7 Rumors -- Component maker partners.

Like others who are following MicroVision closely, I hesitate, sometimes to post things like this because it can start a ridiculous frenzy.

I invest in this company because I see it's incredible potential over a long period of time, included in this, is interest by innovative companies like Apple.

Now, there's no shortage of various rumors about what Apple may or may not do in their next devices -- they are rumors. Rumors shouldn't be immediately believed, but they shouldn't be ignored either.

I would be very dismissive of some of these, except for an important fact of the business tactics MicroVision is employing. The TWO large OEMS that MicroVision is currently working with are BOTH suppliers of components to Apple. 

It's entirely possible that SONY is working out a deal to provide PicoP engines to a number of major OEMS right now -- and that's what those of us who follow the company and bet large on it are hoping is going on in a big way.

Smartphone2016

Apple looks to appeal to users with all different tastes and interests, and the upcoming iPhone 7 looks to do just that. So much talk is on the personal uses of smartphones, but the latest rumors will appeal to business and personal interests alike.

A built in projector looks to be one of the biggest iPhone 7 rumors. The projector is believed to emulate from the top of the phone and will project anything on-screen to a screen or a light colored wall. We’ve seen add-ons that have the same premise, but phone case like fixtures are either too bulky or poor in quality.



The projector is said to be viewable in at least full HD, and will add a unique element to the concept of the iPhone 7. Imagine projecting pictures, spreadsheets, and even full-length movies on a living room wall. The business uses are huge, especially in this mobile era of technology. Working on data spreadsheets right from the palm of your hand can instantly be turned into a collaboration project among co-workers.

Aside from built in projector, new iPhone 7 rumors are out a bigger battery and a waterproof design. One of the biggest disappointments of previous iPhones has been the lack of juice, and the iPhone 7 battery is expected to be bigger and better. Expect to see at least a 3200 non-removable mAh battery in what looks to be one of the best multimedia smartphones for 2016.

iPhone7 Buzz

Apple around a decade back started its work on the project, back in time when no one could have ever imagined a touch screen phone but Apple provided that, now when you hear about the projector aspects, in today’s world everything is possible and Apple is always on the mark, leading the innovation as sources say that Apple’s iPhone 7 may sport a built-in projector. 

iPhone 7 for Executives and Businessmen- The built-in projector in iPhone 7 can greatly attract executives who are working in corporate world and the businessmen who went to clients for the presentation. This can be an alternative option in case the project is not available at client’s office. It will be a handy tool for them and all the files that they want to portray on bigger screen can be saved in the iPhone itself and be projected on the bigger screen, may be the walls of the office.

iPhone7 Updates


iPhone 7 rumors show that the device may include several previously unseen features such as a built-in projector, facial recognition as well as a vastly improved camera.

The news explored a while ago through the popular mobile blog, Patently Apple. In the mid of 2013, it was discovered that Apple is probing into a technology that they call Projected Display Shared Workspaces. While the naming of the feature sounds a little bit clunky, the essence is it enables various iOS devices to project their displays onto any surface.

With many years passed to build up said technology, discussion has now heated that the iPhone 7 might have a built-in projector such as the one described. That being said, Galaxy Beam by Samsung was marketed on much the same premise and didn’t get successful. Regardless, Apple certainly has a strong past of using brand capability reinvent the old ideas. With that in mind, it could be possible to see the trend continuing with the iPhone 7’s rumored projector feature.