iPhone 7 Release Date Set, According To Report

Are you itching to get your hands on an iPhone 7? You will not wait much longer, if reports are to be believed.

According to the Mirror in the United Kingdom, Apple is eyeing a release date of September for the iPhone 7, a mere three and a half months from now.

The revelation will be a relief to Apple enthusiasts, who have long waited for word on the iPhone 7 release date, which to this point has only been rumored to be in the fall of 2016. The Mirror explains why September of this year seems to be the certain date for the iPhone 7 release:

“Both the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6 were revealed in September and Apple has no reason to change its strategy.

“There’s also nothing wrong with taking advantage of Black Friday sales and the run up to Christmas.

“If we had to be specific, we would estimate the announcement date for the iPhone 7 being on a Wednesday or a Thursday in either the first or second week of September.

“The iPhone 6s announcement was held on September 9, 2015 and Apple could plan a repeat performance.”

With the first or second week in September appearing to be solid estimates for the iPhone 7 release date, what should consumers expect from the newest iPhone model? Forbes reports that major changes should not be expected in this year’s iPhone model but instead are likely coming in the 2017 iPhone release, which coincides with Apple’s 10th anniversary release of the original iPhone — the brainchild of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died several years ago of cancer.

With major design changes and upgrades holding off until the 2017 iPhone release, what reason will diehard iPhone customers have to trade in their iPhone 6s for the iPhone 7? Forbes did not give a resounding yes, though it noted that the 3.5 mm headphone jack will be disappearing.

“Let’s start with the heavily discussed dropping of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. This looks to be happening on the iPhone 7 Plus, which means consumers will be left with the option of using bluetooth headphones, wired headphones using the lightning connector, or investing in a lightning-to-3.5mm headphone convertor (third-party designs of such a connector are starting to appear). I continue to be intrigued to see how Tim Cook sells this on the stage. From the first Sony Walkman to pretty much every mobile phone and tablet on sale today, the 3.5mm jack plug has been a mainstay for headphones. If you thought dropping the floppy disk drive from the iMac was a tough call, this is bigger.”

Did you read that right? All the hype this year has been about the iPhone 7 going wireless upon its release in September. But now we find out it may actually continue to use a wired connection, meaning the likelihood of waterproofing is nearly zero, at least for this model.

On the new iPhone 7, Mac 9 to 5 said it will also feature a new camera that will be quite noticeable. Why? Because it will protrude from the device, according to leaked images that have been circulating online.

For anyone disappointed that the camera will not be flush with the shell of the phone, 9 to 5 notes that this could actually be an improvement of sorts.

“On the positive side, the new design of the camera does suggest that substantial improvements to photo and video quality are on the cards,” Mac 9 to 5 reported. “Whether the image truly shows an actual iPhone 7 back (not merely a dummy case) is hard to assert due to the low-resolution but the design mirrors previously-leaked schematics. The same source correctly leaked the iPhone 6 design too, adding to its legitimacy.”

With the iPhone 7 release date nearly certain but the latest installment lacking significant upgrades, will you be lining up in September to get your hands on one? Or will you wait until the iPhone 8 in 2017?

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]