Why every iPhone 7 spec and rumor points to virtual reality

This morning I browse my Geeks Home colleague Adrian Kingsley-Hughes' column relating to Apple's apparent uncaring angle concerning the robot flagship smartphone competition's technical school specs, notably because it pertains to the rumors relating to what elements square measure getting to create their manner into the iPhone seven.

Essentially, he argues that the corporate is competitive against nobody, that they need such unafraid complete loyalty providing their customers square measure thus addicted to their product, and so they're in an exceedingly position to not provides a crap.

Fundamentally, I consider this. I've written ad nauseum concerning the upstarts in China that square measure respiration down not solely Apple's neck, however additionally Samsung's, by manufacturing flagship quality hardware at a fraction of the worth.

Some of these firms square measure simply setting out to create landfall within the US market, like Huawei's Honor complete. Others, like ZTE and OnePlus, are here for a short while and square measure already partaking in huge disruption by cathartic compelling and disrupting product like the freshly free nerve fibre seven and OnePlus three.

There square measure still alternative Chinese firms that have product that haven't hit our shores however, like Xiaomi and Oppo. And once they do conceive to create a beachhead within the North yank market, look out.

So if you look into Apple's growth numbers with iPhone, it does not look smart. mix this with business margins on smartphones plummeting attributable to a Chinese artifact invasion, and Apple has reason to be anxious. however ostensibly, they don't seem to be. they appear positive.

That being same, if the future iPhone seven seems to be organic process, i do not assume this can be a prospering product roll-out for the corporate. Then the certitude is solely conceitedness, associate degreed Apple are tortured for it by an unforgiving market that's being noncontinuous by commoditization.

However, as laborious as i'm on Apple's in progress prospects because it relates to the Four Horsemen of the Chinese smartphone apocalypse, i think we have a tendency to square measure missing one thing vital here.

Could it's that the iPhone seven is not just a smartphone, however a part of associate degree integrated system that's one thing else entirely?

There square measure 2 things during this specific product unharness that have caught my attention. 1st is that there are no recent rumors the least bit concerning show technology employed in the device. we have seen mockups of phones, thus we all know what the shape factors appear as if.

But we've got no plan concerning the visual aspects of the new iPhone.

In April of 2015, Sharp declared that it had been starting production of five.5-inch 4K (3840x2160) 806ppi IGZO displays. at that time rumor flew around, all went silent relating to that technology. the corporate started having serious monetary issues and commenced seeking a purchaser.

As it clad, in April of 2016, FoxConn, one in every of the first makers of the iPhone, concluded up shopping for Sharp for $3.5 billion.

Why is that this significant? Well, 4K would be a serious description bump in terms of show resolution for the larger SKU iPhone. in addition, IGZO, or atomic number 49 metal philosopher's wool displays, have vital technology advantages that embrace dramatically augmented lepton quality, over forty times that of the amorphous atomic number 14 employed in ancient TFT displays.

A use of IGZO would mean augmented physical property, higher reaction speed, and augmented battery potency, not simply the large resolution and component density bump. It additionally creates a far agent sandwich than TFTs, even the half that Apple presently uses within the iPhone.

So super nice show. a decent factor to possess, however not must-have for a smartphone.

Let's locomote. The larger five.5-inch iPhone, that some have dubbed the iPhone professional, is predicted to possess twin cameras within the rear of the device.

Why does one want twin cameras? Well, on a smartphone, a minimum of because it pertains to photography, stereoscopic vision suggests that you'll be able to shoot burst exposures and do selective compositing of various focus depths and do image process on those exposures. you'll be able to additionally shoot 3D images and do perspective vision varieties of applications.

So fascinating, however additionally not essential feature on a smartphone.

What else will the five.5-inch iPhone seven have? Well, it reportedly incorporates a new tying up connection and additionally stereo speakers.

Some say the dock is for a few special charger or a keyboard. i feel those square measure actually prospects, however what if it's meant for one thing rather more radical?

What if the iPhone seven professional is really the brains of a virtual reality/augmented reality receiver? A headset that performs as a smartphone by day, however snaps into a head-mounted cradle at midnight, just like the Samsung Gear VR?

An diversion device that performs the operate of a vice machine and television set? associate degree Apple TV while not a TV? One which will offer totally immersive experiences and exclusive content from just about anywhere?

Now the elements begin to create sense. A 4K high-density component show would be required so as to produce the foremost realistic VR expertise attainable, particularly if it's getting used near the eyes. You'd wish the sharpest, best color copy still.

For the receiver to be able to be used for increased reality applications, like a true-AR version of Pokemon Go, you'd fully wish stereoscopy. you'd wish comprehensive depth info on something ahead of the cameras, notably if you were moving your hands ahead of it so as to manage a gesture-based interface.

Machine vision techniques would ought to inherit play here, big time.

And stereo speakers? Any smart VR application goes to want that, particularly if you would like 3D sound effects. they may actually integrate them into the receiver dock, however i think one thing like that might primarily be associate degree external battery pack and have some style of management buttons -- though in theory, the Apple Watch may well be employed in conjunction with this device in some style of paired mode still.

And what concerning the shortage of a earphone jack? maybe Apple needs to try and do this to not screw the gift mini-jack earphone accent business or incense its client base. maybe the corporate needs to transition to end-to-end high-resolution digital audio, by desegregation a Digital Audio convertor (DAC) into the device and providing the simplest way to send knowledge to compatible secret writing devices.

The lightning port would be a far higher candidate for this than mini jack, which needs pulse code modulation to try and do digital signal coding to external DAC devices these days on existing iPhones. this is able to eliminate the requirement for that entirely and removes potential line noise issues still.

If you were to make totally immersive VR experiences you'd wish the receiver dock device to be able to play high-definition audio, for sure.

If you have been speculative what all that 64-bit H.P. within the iPhone's A-series chip has been anticipating the previous few years, this can be most likely it. Any iPhone seven that forms the premise of a video game or AR system goes to want process power antecedently remarkable in an exceedingly mobile device.

Expect the A10 chip to be a whopper of a SoC, with unimaginable GPU performance to match.

I don't recognize certainly that the iPhone seven professional is basically a VR machine. however my gut says that Apple is wanting to disrupt, and this might fine be the a new factor the corporate is yearning for to continue years of mobile business dominance.

Is the iPhone seven professional extremely a video game receiver in disguise? speak Back and Let Maine recognize.