Apple drew back the curtain on the iPhone 7, revealing several expected changes -- including water-resistant features and the absence of a dedicated headset jack -- marking an evolution rather than any kind of stunning breakthrough for the flagship smartphone line.
The official announcement at Apple's San Francisco event Wednesday comes after weeks of leaks and speculation about the next iPhone. Instead of a headphone jack, the iPhone 7 will use Apple's proprietary Lightning charging port to connect a headset (included with the smartphones); alternatively users also can connect to wireless earbuds via Bluetooth, and the iPhone 7 will also include an adapter to connect to analog headphones.
Apple also is introducing AirPods, new wireless earbuds that will be sold separately. The company's Beats division is launching Beats Solo3 and Powerbeats3 and the new Beatsx wireless headphones with the iPhone 7.
The reason Apple is eliminating the traditional headphone port "comes down to one word: courage, the courage to move on to do something that betters all of us," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide marketing. He noted that the change reduces the components required in the iPhone 7.
However, on the water- and dust-resistant features, Apple is playing catch-up: Major rival Samsung Electronics has highlighted the waterproof features of its Galaxy S7 Android-based smartphones, which can sustain being submerged for up to 30 minutes in five feet of water.
The iPhone 7 (with a 4.7-inch screen) and the larger-size iPhone 7 Plus (with a 5.5-inch screen) will begin shipping September 16, with pre-orders starting Friday, according to Apple.
The pricing of the iPhone 7 starts at $649 -- the same as the iPhone 6s, but doubling the amount of storage, from 16 gigabytes to 32 GB. The iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769 with 32 GB. Both are available with up to 256 GB of storage.
"It's the best iPhone we've ever created," CEO Tim Cook said on stage, using pretty much the same lines that he has with past launches. "It makes all the things you do every day so much better."
The new models have speedier processors and are equipped with a 12-megapixel rear camera that includes an optical image stabilizer, improvements for low-light photography, and the ability to capture a wider range of colors, among other features. The iPhone 7 Plus features a dual-lens camera system (a wide-angle and a telephoto lens) designed to improve zoom capabilities and capture 3D-like images. Apple says the Retina displays for the new phones are 25 per cent brighter than those in the iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 7 includes for the first time stereo speakers.
Apple is banking on the iPhone refresh -- which has become an annual traditional -- to boost sales of the flagship device line. Unit sales of iPhones declined 15 per cent year-over-year during the quarter ended June 30, following a falloff in the prior quarter. Apple, the world's biggest tech conglomerate, posted iPhone sales of $24.0 billion in the most recent quarter, representing 57 per cent of total revenue.
Still, it's not clear that the iPhone 7 enhancements will spur Apple's hoped-for upgrade rush among current iPhone users, who may be growing less inclined to toss out their existing devices on a yearly cycle.
Apple's removal of the iPhone headphone jack had been widely anticipated, as was the dual-lens camera. Reports prior to the launch also said Apple would increase storage for the iPhone, with the entry-level model including 32 gigabytes of memory (up from 16 GB previously) along with a new 256-gigabyte version.