Apple's iPhone 7 Could Have Three 'Radical' Design Changes [Follow-Up]

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The above image is a fan-based, iPhone 7 concept render found randomly on the web.​

Here's a follow-up article to Radu's previous piece found here: The iPhone 7 Could Ditch the Physical Home Button | Apple iPhone Forum

The latest rumint from Piper Jaffray’s analyst, Gene Munster, suggests that the iPhone 7 could have a few of the most "radical" changes ever seen on a new iPhone. The first one doesn't seem that "radical" to us, and in fact, we have heard this rumor before. That is that the next iPhone will have a full sapphire display.

Of course, we already know that Apple experimented with making this change last year, but it never made it to the final retail product. Kuo claims that Apple will have worked out the design and logistics issues with using sapphire for their displays and will proceed forward with the new iPhone 7. We won't hold our breath for this change, but we also won't be surprised if the rumor proves true.

The second "big" change that Munster claims is coming in the iPhone 7 could be considered "radical" in most circles. Supposedly, Apple plans to ditch the Home Button (this is the same info from Radu's story earlier). According to Munster, the reason that Apple will finally do away with the Home Button is because of their new 3D Touch technology. According to him, this will allow Apple to offer users the same functionality without actually needing a physical button. He suggests that Apple will then be able to make the display larger on the front, and shrink the iPhone overall without losing any display size.

Whether he is correct or not, his idea is both intriguing and has merit. The 3D Touch would allow Apple to offer the equivalent of the home button built directly into the display. Additionally, we can imagine a design for the iPhone which eschews the Home Button to facilitate a smaller size. That definitely sounds very "Apple-y" to us.

The only flaw in his logic is that the home button is currently also the fingerprint button for the iPhone. Wouldn't this mean that Apple would need to include a fingerprint sensor somewhere else on the device? That would make it similar in design to current Android phones with fingerprint sensors.

Finally, the third "radical" change in the iPhone 7 also doesn't seem very "radical" to us, but it does seem very practical. Supposedly, Apple plans to redouble their focus on battery life for the next generation iPhone. Here's a quote from Munster,

“Looking at Macs over the past few years, Apple has close to doubled battery life for its Macbook line up (largely 5 hour battery to ~10 hours). It has achieved this through more efficient processors and software. We believe battery life is one of the biggest areas of potential improvement and one that might be most welcomed by customers.”

If true, this shift would also not be too surprising. Apple's iPhone battery life numbers/figures have remained relatively flat and stagnant over the past several generations. It makes sense that Apple might want to shake things up by marketing their device as the longest lasting smartphone available.

What do you folks think? Is this just a pie in the sky wish list, or is the analyst on to something? We shall have to wait and see next year...

Source: Forbes