The upcoming Apple iPhone 7 has been the epicentre of rumours for the last few months. While the rumour mills have been buzzing about the possible specifications of iPhone 7 and the launch date of iPhone 7, the latest buzz may surprise, or disappoint, many. The most recent report from apfelpage indicates that Apple may not launch iPhone 7 at all this year. Instead, the company may be preparing itself for some twist and name the upcoming iPhone as iPhone 6SE.
The next iteration of iPhone is slated to be released on September 12th according to Evan Blass (@evleaks), a well-known leaker who has got a credible history of leaks related to Apple iPhone. He even clarified his claims and predicted that the next iPhone might go on retail sales by September 16th.
But, the latest rumor, claiming Apple may ditch the launch of iPhone 7 complete this year has triggered multiple questions:
- Why would Apple not name the upcoming iPhone as iPhone 7?
- Is Apple vying to change the cycle of iPhone release?
- Is the company going on back foot in order to generate hype for its 10th anniversary iPhone 8 amid to the fact that its Q3 and Q2 2016 performance aren’t much satisfying?
- As the global economy is in a jittery condition in the present time, Is Apple trying to go slow and adopt wait and watch policy until the economy stabilises?
Nevertheless, the upcoming iPhone 6SE (iPhone 7) is rumoured to be similar in design as iPhone 6S apart from redesigned antenna bands. It may also be a bit more water resistant and may feature the Type C charging slot. Well, one has to wait until Apple is officially released its next iPhone. The silicon giant is also rumoured to slash its upcoming iPhone price by $100.
Over several months, however, there has been much of hype regarding the next variant of iPhone. Some analysts are already claiming that the upcoming iPhone may not be the ultimate showstopper from Apple. Instead, the iPhone that Apple would unveil on its 10th anniversary would eventually prove to be the major game changer in smartphone segment as it is rumoured to house the all glass design with the OLED edgeless display.
On the contrary, another report suggests that Apple has already given 72-78 million units of iPhones 7 or 6SE to be manufactured this year. However, the report by IDC estimates that iPhone sales would see a 2% drop in 2016. Thus predicting the sales figures of company’s upcoming iPhone is out of context in the current scenario.
Why Will Apple Ditch iPhone 7 for iPhone 6SE?
The recent Q3 2016 report published by Apple displays the dismal performance of the company, particularly in iPhone segment. The Silicon Valley giant’s potential markets, the US and China unveil the dark state of Apple’s revenue. As on YoY basis the company has suffered a staggering 33% decline in its revenue in Chinese markets and 11% YoY revenue drop was recorded by Apple in the US in its fiscal Q3 2016, ending June 30, 2016. The guidance that Apple has provided for the revenue in Q4 2016 is also not appearing quite appealing. Thus, the company is apparently going on the backfoot in the next quarter as well.
The global economy has slumped mainly in Europe and China; therefore the iPhone adoption rate had declined in the previous quarter. Apple may be waiting for the perfect time before it launches its much awaited 10th anniversary iPhone and thus employing minimal changes in its upcoming iPhone 6SE.
If Apple introduces iPhone 7 this year, it has to have significant upgrades and modifications both at hardware and software level, making it quite difficult for Apple to roll out another head-turning iPhone during its 10th anniversary next year. Therefore, the possibility of rolling out iPhone 6SE with few upgrades and updates this year, followed by the launch of iPhone 7/iPhone 8 earlier than its cycle next year makes sense for Apple.
The iPhone giant may be vying for changing its iPhone launch cycle for a convincing reason as well; Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge has been eating into iPhone sales in some countries especially US and India. Samsung follows the launch cycle of March to introduce its flagship device, and Apple may be eyeing to counter the growing sales of Samsung’s flagship phones by aligning the launch cycle of iPhone from the next year.
Final Words
All said and done, some speculations are on cards and rumours regarding the upcoming iPhone wouldn’t stop until the launch of iPhone 6SE or iPhone 7 is not made official. However, one thing is quite clear; the current scenario signals that the upcoming iPhone would not be an ultimate device by Apple and the company may be willing to reserve its customers for its 10th anniversary iPhone. A huge change is on the cards, and we are awaiting!
