Supposedly, the 'iPhone 7' will be dustproof and waterproof
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus only became realities to most of us three days ago, and it’s already time to move on to rumors about next year’s “iPhone 7.” According to a pair of posts on Chinese microblog Weibo, and subsequently reported on by 9to5Mac, the new handset will have design changes that are unheard of in the history of the iPhone.
The first post claims the iPhone 7 will be both waterproof and dustproof. Several Android devices already offer that extra bit of protection, so I think it’s definitely possible and sensible for Apple to add it to its own handsets.
Next, another post claims the iPhone 7 will feature a new casing material, making this year the end of the line for metallic frames in iOS handsets. Yet another rumor claims the iPhone 7 will feature a completely flat LCD panel. I don’t really see Apple ditching the durability of a metallic frame, but I suppose it’s possible. As for the flat LCD panel, this one I’m going to give a low probability, simply because not much is said about what that really means.
It’s important to point out that we are far too ahead of any iPhone 7 announcements to take any of these rumors with more than the tiniest grain of salt. After all, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus just arrived on Sept. 25, making any announcement of another new handset at least nine months away.
Then there’s the source. Weibo is China’s answer to Twitter, a microblogging site where users post messages 140 characters long or less. Microblogs aren’t exactly sites for industry expert analysis, and we aren’t provided with any information about the credentials of the posters. For all we know, it could be China’s version of Joe the Plumber posting these rumors.
Here is all that we can be certain of. The rumor mill about next year’s iOS handset is cranking up, and we can expect to see quite a bit more speculation between now and Apple’s next fall event. Many of these suggestions will be unfounded and untrue, and our own Bryan Wolfe has pointed out that his rule of thumb is only “to trust Apple rumors published after Aug. 15 each year.”
That means we can certainly talk about rumors surrounding the iPhone 7 before August 2016, but we can’t truly trust them with much certainty until after that timeframe.
Image credit: nadonline | Wondrous Pics
