Apple’s iPhone 7, the expected new smartphone from its Winter 2016 collection, is getting more rumor chatter than in previous years. That’s in part because fanbois are expecting more than the usual incremental improvements and a new-look chassis.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are said to have much less vertical bezel, thanks to the removal of the 3½ mm headphone jack. That change could also allow Apple to make the iDevice thinner.
Oh, and a new patent has surfaced, showing how Apple might mitigate the sonic downsides of being so skinny. Rumor mongers are also expecting a waterproof, wirelessly-charging device.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers strap in for the long haul. Not to mention: The Martian, starring Matt Damon, is a comedy?..
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
[Developing story: Updated 11:21 am PT with more comment]
Good grief, here we go again. Liam Tung tastes the rumors—Out with 3.5mm headphone jack, in with new internal speakers?:
Amid mounting speculation about Apple ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack [it also] seems to be exploring more space-efficient internal speakers.
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A new patent...comes amid some panic over the possibility of Apple dropping the...jack on the 'iPhone 7' in exchange for a setup in which headphones [use] Bluetooth or...the Lightning port.
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Getting rid of the jack could allow Apple to make a shorter iPhone...while maintaining the same size display.
How so? Ben Lovejoy thinks he knows—Patent hints at higher-quality speakers in future iPhones:
The patent is very densely-worded, but seemingly describes a method of getting higher-quality and higher-volume audio from speakers built into slimmer devices.
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I at least have a working theory: ... Rather than just using the volume of air you can push through the speakers themselves, Apple [is] proposing to allow more of the internal space...to act as an audio chamber...effectively turning other components of the iPhone...into part of the speaker.
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[But some people] want to strangle Jony Ive with their headphone cable.
So no small changes this year? Yoni Heisler calls it the most radical iPhone redesign we’ve seen:
What started out as a crazy rumor has since been corroborated by a number of varying sources. ... The only question, though, is how big the backlash will be if Apple actually does abandon the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack?
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One of the side benefits to eliminating the headphone jack is that it makes it easier to waterproof the iPhone.
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Apple will reportedly jump on the...wireless charging...bandwagon with the iPhone 7.
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The rumors surrounding Apple’s interest in OLED displays have become too loud to ignore. Still, it’s far too early...to expect the iPhone 7 to feature...an OLED display.
Why do so many people care so deeply about this stuff? Suzanne Frey and Andrew Tonner explain—What to Expect From Apple In 2016:
Despite recent questions about the strength of iPhone 6s sales...Apple remains the top tastemaker. [Its] product decisions still send ripples through the tech industry.
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As the product that drives the majority of Apple revenues and profits, the iPhone [7] will probably be the defining driver of its [stock price].
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Apple tends to anchor each year's iPhone upgrade on a single marquee feature. ... Developing what would be by far Apple's thinnest iPhone ever (can you hear the marketing pitch already?) could create an appreciable wow factor.
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Apple is also widely expected to release a smaller...iPhone 6c. The device would [be] an important strategic device as it expands deeper into emerging markets.
Indeed it could. And the iPhone 7 could be an important device to wring more cash out of fanbois, as this anonymous activist breathlessly explains:
Apple is about to rip off every one of its customers. Again. ... Only a massive international campaign can force Apple to change course.
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Not only will this force iPhone users to dole out additional cash to replace...headphones, it will singlehandedly create mountains of electronic waste.
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This is right out of the Apple corporate playbook. A few years ago it swapped out the original...connector with a new one, making countless cords, cables and chargers obsolete. Apple plays up its green credentials, but...Apple only invested in renewable energy, and began phasing out toxic chemicals when public pressure became too strong to ignore.
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Tell Apple to keep the standard headphone jack and ditch planned obsolescence!
Update: Some people just wish your humble blogwatcher would shut up. People like Bruce Banner:
iPhone 6s was hyped as being water resistant. It isn't, iPhone 6 was hyped as being built with sapphire glass, it wasn't. 3rd-party keyboard compatibility never worked property and the 6s series of phones have smaller batteries than the 6. Non expandable memory, bend gate.
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Apple doesn't deserve any pre release hype.
And Finally...
Apparently, The Martian, starring Matt Damon, is classified as a comedy—category fraud or anachronism?
You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings, who curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites… so you don’t have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. 
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