The iPhone 7 is expected to be released sometime this year, and according to a report from MacWorld, it is expected to launch by September, given that Apple is very consistent with their launch schedules. An upgrade, the iPhone 7s, will then follow a few months after. However, the report also points out that the iPhone 7 will be signficantly different from current models.
It is stated in the report that the iPhone 7 is rumored to be completely redesigned in order for fans to differentiate it from the similar-looking iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. In order to achieve this, the phone is rumored to be much thinner and may lose several of the iconic physical features in order to make way for new designs.
With this in mind, one of the most widely rumored features that will be discarded is the 3.5mm headphone jack. The jack forces the iPhone to be of a certain thickness but by getting rid of it, the iPhone 7 can be thinner than normal. If this is implemented, phone users will need to use a Bluetooth headphone or a new kind of headphone that connects via the lightning port or via an adaptor.
Altering the camera by making it flush with the rest of the back plate will also make the phone significantly thinner. There is also the rumor of the iPhone 7 removing the antenna bars. However, these rumors have not been gaining much ground and it is undetermined at this point if Apple is indeed considering these design changes.
MacWorld also points out that the 16GB model may be phased out. Phones with much larger storage capacities are becoming the norm, with some Android phones capable of storing up to 1TB via micro-SD card. While Apple phones have never offered that much storage capacity, it is likely the iPhone 7 will increase the largest option available to some degree.
