A report by a China-based source claims that Apple could be removing the white plastic antenna stripes found at the back of the company's iPhones, most seen in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Chinese news website Commercial Times said that, instead of the white plastic stripes at the back of the devices, Apple would use a new compound material which would be less noticeable, and possibly even invisible.
For those wondering, the white plastic stripes at the back of the iPhone function as antennas for the smartphone's cellular signals. If Apple does not place the stripes, the iPhones will not be able to receive as much signal as they do not transmit well through metal.
When the stripes first appeared on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, it was criticized as it appeared to ruin the aesthetics of the smartphones.
If the rumor is true, it would seem that Apple listened to the criticism against the white stripes, and would be fixing up the looks of the iPhone 7 by taking them out. The new compound materials that were mentioned would be used to create a discreet enclosure around the antenna of the smartphone, which would definitely look better than the off-color white stripes.
The Commercial Times report also made mention of the rumor that the upcoming iPhone model will be fully waterproof, improving upon the water resistance capabilities of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
In addition, the report said that Catcher Technology will continue to be the biggest supplier of chassis for the upcoming next-generation iPhones. Sources added that the clients of Catcher Technology aside from Apple, which makes up around 40 percent of the company's sales, will continue with Catcher Technology until it turns its focus to the manufacturing of chassis for the iPhone 7, which will be some time in 2016. The supplies provided by Catcher Technology are estimated to make up 30 percent to 35 percent of the iPhone 7's shipment numbers.
The iPhone 7 is widely expected to provide a massive upgrade compared to the current flagship iPhones in terms of both functionality and design when it is launched next year. In addition to the aforementioned hidden antenna bands and waterproofing, there have been a lot of rumors floating around regarding details on the highly anticipated device.
The iPhone 7 is rumored to feature a liquidmetal or aluminum alloy body for its design, and ditching the home button in favor of an expanded 3D Touch functionality, which would widen the real estate on the device's front screen.
It is expected that the new iPhone will have multi-touch support for its 3D Touch feature, with the resolution and display size to be similar to that of the current flagship iPhones. In addition, the cameras are expected to be a 12-megapixel rear-facing and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies.
The most significant improvements are expected to be in the iPhone 7's internals, with the smartphone rumored to pack 3 GB of RAM and be powered by an all-new Apple A10 chipset with a 1.5 GHz dual-core cyclone (ARM v8 based) CPU.
The iPhone 7 is not expected to be unveiled until early September 2016, with sales to launch later within that month. The smartphone could command a price tag of $1,000 to $1,200, which is steep but understandable if all the rumored improvements and new features for the device would be included.
However, with Apple not confirming any of the rumors floating for the iPhone 7, all these specifications and features should be taken with a grain of salt.
