iPhone 7 Rumors: The iPhone 7 Screen Uses A 3D Holographic Display, But Will It Be Called An iPhone 6S?

Even though the Apple iPhone 7 release date is likely schedule some time in 2015, the iPhone 7 rumors have already begun… and we do not even know if the real product name will be called the Apple iPhone 6S! So far, the biggest Apple rumor is that the iPhone 7 screen will use a 3D display, but that’s not the only tantalizing possibility.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, if you are shopping for an iPhone 6 during Black Friday 2014, it turns out that the Apple stores may not be the best option.

In the lead up to the iPhone 6, there were a ton of rumors that ended up being nothing but talk. But it’s possible that some of the early Apple technology generating those rumors may actually be built into the new iPhone 7. One of the most interesting concepts was the idea for an iPhone holographic keyboard which is projected onto surfaces using four pico projectors. Microsft is also trying to make Windows 10 a truly unified operating system that defies boundaries, so it’s possible that Mac OS X and iOS could slowly begin to merge.

Although Apple CEO Tim Cook has denied plans for an OS X/iOS unification in the past, if they do go this route, eventually it would allow a docking station where the iPhone 7 could be used like a desktop computer by connecting the iPhone 7 to a monitor, mouse and keyboard. After all, the latest smartphones are significantly faster than desktops from years ago, and the iPhone 7 CPU is likely to keep upping the performance benchmarks.

But it’s possible that the iPhone 7 will play it a little safer and not stretch our expectations too far. After all, the iPhone 6 Plus was a large departure from the design of the iPhone 5 and 5S, so it’s possible Apple will only create an iPhone 6S that’s only an incremental hop forward, not a leap like we’d all like.

iPhone 7 Screen Technology – 3D Holographic Displays?

If any of the wildest iPhone 7 rumors are likely, then it’s probably the idea that the iPhone 7 screen will be a 3D holographic display. Tim Cook did admit they were working on what they called an “interactive holography display device,” and they filed for the patent back in 2011, only to be awarded it in September of 2014. So with patent in hand, it’s possible the iPhone 7 display could incorporate such technology.

According to Apple, the 3D holographic images are generated by directing multiple beams of light to create an image based upon the tracked user position. This tech also allows users to interact with the hologram, since it can detect when one of those beams of light are interrupted by a finger.

“A lens assembly can be configured to direct the one or more beams, by dynamically changing a deflection angle, to form a holographic image of the object based on a focal length of the lens and a location of an observer. Further, one or more optical sensors can be configured to obtain information regarding whether an interactive device interrupts the one or more beams, in order to determine a location of the interactive device (e.g., a user’s finger) with respect to the holographic image, based on the obtained information from the one or more optical sensors.”

Of course, whether or not the iPhone 7 screen will incorporate this display technology is unknown. We do know for certain that Apple has a vested interest in developing 3D technologies. In 2013, Apple purchased an Israeli company named PrimeSense for the price of $345 million in order to secure the technology which powers the Microsoft Xbox Kinect. This tech creates 3D maps of real environments and tracks facial expressions along with body motions.

Otherwise, the only other likely iPhone 7 rumor is that the iPhone 7 release date will be in the fall of 2015. Going based upon history, it’s very likely Apple will shoot for a September iPhone 7 launch date.