Latest News on the release of the iPhone 8
The launch of the iPhone 8 is expected to be in September, and as it is the 10th anniversary of the device, people are expecting some radical changed.
The rumours suggest that iPhone 8 new features may include wireless charging, facial recognition, a display from edge to edge, and no home button. It is expected that the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will be released at the same time.
iPhone 8 Release Date
September 19 is the date when we expect Tim Cook, to launch the iPhone 8 in California. Invitations were sent out to journalists in August. The event will be at Apple Park headquarters at 10am Eastern Time (US).
Traditionally the devices go on sale a week after this announcement, which means you will probably be able to pre-order on September 15 and pick up on September 22.
There have been rumours of production delays, which may lead to these dates being changed, but Apple has dismissed this. Apple is predicting they will see strong sales in these last months of 2017. The number available could be limited.
What will we see in September?
Apple are releasing three phones in September – the iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus. They don’t usually do this. A new design is generally released, followed by slight upgrades the following year. It is expected that the upgrade to the iPhone 7 will include a faster chip and a longer battery life.
The iPhone 8, which it is expected to be called will have a completely different design to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first iPhone – maybe this will include a new name. It is also widely expected that there will be a third generation Apple Watch and an Apple TV.
iPhone 8 Cost
The iPhone 8 could be the most expensive handset yet that Apple has produced. There are suggestions that it could cost $US1000.00. With exchange rates and VAT this could make it much more expensive in the UK. The upgrades to the iPhone 7S are likely to be cheaper and closer to the price of the current iPhone 7. One executive has noted that the handset “will not be cheap”.
If the price is almost $US1000.00, it will be 54% more expensive than the current iPhone 7.
Appearance of the iPhone 8
It is expected to come in at least 3 different colors – white, black, and either copper or gold. In most cases the black and white are fairly standard, but the third color is variable. The other possibility is that the third color is a pinkish rose gold color, that we have seen on previous models.
iPhone 8 New Features
Some of the possibilities include the following: an edge-to-edge display. It has long been a wish of Apple’s design chief, Sir Jong Ive, to have an iPhone that appears to be one piece of glass, so the screen covers the entire front of the phone. There are some clues in the HomePod code suggesting it will have an edge-to-edge display. The back could be glass with an aluminium bumper. By doing this Apple could increase the screen size without increasing its footprint.
Home Button
Although the home button has been a feature of every iPhone since 2007, they may get rid of it with this new model. They already have advanced pressure detection technology and the last model had a home button that vibrated instead of clicking.
As soon as you pick the new model up it will ‘wake up’, so there is less need to click a home button. Apple has also embedded Touch ID with the screen, which might increase the security. The home button could be resized of even hidden.
Facial Recognition
This upgrade to security is expected to be very fast, and will be able to scan the user’s face and actually unlock the device in ‘millionths of a second’. It will also work with a 3D camera, according to the rumours. It could be used for various purposes including unlocking the phone, logging on with apps and for verification with Apple Pay.
Similar security is available on the competition, including the Samsung Galaxy.
Additional suggestions are that it will be able to mute notification sounds because the facial recognition feature will know you are looking at it! This will save everyone from hearing your irritating tones.
Smart Cam
It seems the ‘Smart Cam’ will be able to identify different types of scenes and objects.
Directions
The new iPhone could be able to use augmented reality to guide you around towns and cities. This augmented reality will superimpose directions onto the view through the camera.
iOs 11
A good indicator of how the iPhone 8 might look comes from Apple’s latest software, which was launched in June, and will be on the latest device. iOS 11 features Apple Pay which will work from peer-to-peer, and a new design for the Control Centre. There are new safety features – driving mode which shows ‘do not disturb’, and an option for Emergency SOs, that can lock people out.
iPhone 8 Wireless Charging
Batteries and their life is still the biggest issue for most mobile devices. Fast charging is a possible compromise, and manufacturers are working on this technology. Apple could allow wireless charging in this new model. The Apple watch and some other devices already use charging that uses an inductive pad, but true wireless charging where power beams from the socket would be a significant breakthrough. It seems it could be an optional extra and not found on the basic model
iPhone 7 vs iPhone 8
The iPhone 8 will be lightning fast. It will be more expensive, although the top of the range iPhone 7 Plus isn’t cheap.
Most expect the size will be somewhere between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It appears that it will be 144mm by 71mm.
The 5.8” screen gives it the largest screen ever on an iPhone.