Will Apple really wait until 2017 for a significant iPhone upgrade?
The last time I checked, we’re living in 2016, no? Then why are all of the recent Apple rumors suggesting that 2017 is going to be a much bigger year in terms of product reveals?
The rumors
With last month’s release of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, it’s clear that little is going to change on the Apple tablet front the rest of the year. Then we heard that the second-generation Apple Watch is going to be a modest update, at best.
Finally, this past weekend, respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities noted that Apple is moving away from iPhones with aluminum casings, but not this year. Instead, the 2017 iPhone models will feature a glass back and an AMOLED display.
Does 2017 makes sense?
Next year is the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone, which Steve Jobs announced in January 2007. This could be reason enough for Apple to push significant iPhone updates into the next year.
From a business perspective, however, this doesn’t make any sense.
Going back to the iPhone 4 in 2010, Apple has released a big handset update in even numbered years. This means that the “iPhone 7,” which should be announced this fall, should look much different than the iPhone 6/6s.
My gut tells me that we’ll be seeing a new form factor on the iPhone 7 this year. The shift to OLEDalthough the shift to an OLED may be delayed to the “iPhone 7s” in 2017. That would be similar to the transition from the iPhone 6 in 2014 to the iPhone 6s in 2015, which added 3D Touch.