Apple’s a hugely secretive company. It goes to enormous lengths to protect its unannounced products, as most of you will be aware. However, there was a pretty HUGE leak over the weekend, as Foxconn insiders took to Reddit to dish the dirt on Apple’s iPhone 8, iPhone 7s and Siri Speaker.
The insiders also talked about a pair of AR spectacles that Apple is working on too, which is rather exciting given Apple’s prolonged absence from the AR/VR space.
Apple's AR Glasses
Tim Cook has said, multiple times, that he views AR as the future. But will these spectacles ACTUALLY see the light of day? Might they launch at WWDC 2017?
Quite possibly.
According to the insiders, development is fairly advanced; the specs consist of a “Kopin NED Acetate frame, Polarisized or prescription lens with Zeiss smart optics, Bone induction modules Microphones (noise cancellation), Light sensor Accelerometer for step tracking and head movement, app navigation Magnetometer for navigation, Capacitive Pavel Ceramic battery, Apple chipset, [and] Charging circuit BL5 Induction module.”
Furthermore, the user could use the specs to use an app like Tinder by either nodding or shaking their head to say whether or not they liked a profile. A “small capacitive strip” built into one of the arms would allow for call-answer and other navigation aspects.
Siri would obviously feature highly inside the spectacles, though the insiders said there was a 65% chance Project Mirrorshade would be cancelled, as the batteries are very difficult to produce.
iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s
Obviously, most people are interested in what the insiders said about Apple’s iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s, which launch later on this year. According to the leaked information, Apple is really struggling to get the home key integrated inside the display; yields for working units are disappointing, apparently.
Further, the iPhone 8 will apparently also use Facial Detection and a Retina Scanner which will be handled by the front-facing camera. The iPhone 8 will come with 3GB of RAM, apparently, as well as wireless charging, water resistance and a decidedly different design to current-generation iPhones.
The iPhone 7s will be pretty much what we expected: a rebooted version of the current iPhone 7 model. The only difference, save for specs and hardware updates, will be its build materials – it’ll have an aluminum unibody instead of a glass chassis
And What About That Siri Speaker, Hmmm?
The Insiders said it looks a bit like the Mac Pro, so kinda Darth Vader-y, only smaller though they did add that they hadn’t seen it in a while, implying the design and features could well have changed.
Apple apparently tested three designs for its Siri Speaker; one without a camera and one without a screen, meaning the actual version most likely have both a camera and a display. The Siri Speaker will run on a modified A9 chip.
The Siri Speaker will likely be announced at WWDC but it will not get a release date until later on this year.
