We’ve talked at length about the pros and cons of Apple’s decision to remove the Aux cord from the iPhone 7, but most people figured it was an acceptable trade off to make way for the epic 10th anniversary iPhone 8 that was expected next. After all, the iPhone 7 was the first time that Apple broke with its “tick-tock” release schedule. In this schedule a new iPhone is released with a new look and then the following year an S is added to it with almost no changes to the design or features. The iPhone 7 marks the 3rd year in a row of the exact same iPhone design, which was first released in 2014 on the iPhone 6. After pretending to be excited to buy an iPhone 7, the Apple fandom might need to take a seat for this news.
According to Forbes, a Taiwan supplier who was one of the first to leak the end of the Aux cord has some even worse news. Rather than a gamechanging new iPhone 8 that the world expected next fall, the next iPhone may mark a depressing return to Apple’s “tick-tock” schedule. This means next up is an iPhone 7S with, you guessed it, the exact same design as the iPhone 7 (and 6S and 6). This would mean the iPhone will go essentially unchanged for 4 years. However, the screen sizes will grow to come closer to matching Android’s offerings. The smaller iPhone 7S will increase from 4.7 to 5 inches and both will have dual cameras arranged vertically rather than horizontally.
The story notes that there is a possibility these leaks are just a backup plan, but this supplier seems to think that we don’t see the iPhone 8 until 2018. Unfortunately, they have been right on the money in the past. The other possibility is that these phones will be released alongside the new iPhone 8, giving customers more choices in screen size and price points.
Source: Forbes