A new report from Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz claims that the upcoming iPhone 7 will be an incremental update. He says the company is considering skipping an iPhone 7s in 2017 for a redesigned iPhone 8.
In June 2009, Apple introduced its first iPhone that retained the design of that of its predecessor, iPhone 3G, but the iPhone 3GS included upgraded internals to entice current iPhone owners to upgrade and new users to join the party. Since then, the company has released the iPhone 4 in 2010, iPhone 4S in 2011, iPhone 5 in 2012, iPhone 5s in 2013, iPhone 6/6 Plus in 2014 and iPhone 6s/6s Plus in 2015.
Apple is expected to release the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September, and the smartphones will reportedly feature an ultra-thin design due to the removal of the standard 3.5 mm headphone port. The company is reportedly planning to introduce wireless AirPods that will allow users to wirelessly listen to audio, in addition to Lightning-equipped EarPods that will replace the 3.5 mm headphones it currently includes with iPhones.
A new report claims that the upcoming iPhone 7 will be more similar to an incremental "s" release than a completely redesigned model. Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz believes that the iPhone 7, "could be more of a replacement cycle versus a mega cycle." He has revised 2016 iPhone sales estimates and believes Apple will sell 1.8 percent fewer iPhones that the company sold in 2015, citing the lack of a "must-have" completely redesigned iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The analyst believes that Apple is actually considering dropping the "s" moniker for what is expected to be 2017's iPhone 7s and 7s Plus and will instead introduce a major form factor change iPhone 8 that will include an OLED display, no physical Home button and wireless charging capabilities.
As always, it's best to take reports of unannounced iPhones and features with a huge grain of salt, especially when it comes to a company as secretive as Apple. Do you think Apple will dramatically change course and release the iPhone 8 in the fall of 2017? Let us know in the comments below.
