iPhone 7 versions, colours and accessories
iPhone 7 versions and colours
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will keep the iPhone's current dimensions of 4.7in and 5.5in across the diagonal respectively, but they'll boast all new colours.
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available in RoseGold, Gold, Silver, Black, and Jet Black, getting rid of the Space Gray colour of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.
Accessories
All iPhones come with ear pods included, and the iPhone 7 is no exception. However, tech-loving users may choose to upgrade and buy the AirPods (above) or even one of Apple's Beats wireless headphones, instead.
As with previous editions, the iPhone 7 will have its fair share of accessories, including a smart battery pack case that can charge the phone on the go, and a Lightning Dock to charge and sync the device.
Will the iPhone 7 be a success?
At a consumer level, it is highly unlikely that the iPhone 7 and its variants will bomb. As reported by Nikkei in January, although there was a glut of inventory in the first quarter of 2016, "Apple's products and brand have not lost their appeal, and older models have continued to sell".
Indeed, iPhones were a major driving force behind Apple's record-breaking Q4 2015 financial results.
Additionally, the iPhone 7 is a new model, rather than an 's' series update like the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
iPhone 7 in the enterprise
Apple has been working hard to boost its presence in the enterprise, primarily through partnerships with other large tech companies such as Cisco and IBM, leveraging these to create a $25 billion business selling to B2B.
While it has largely been thought these alliances have been formed to help push the use of iPads as business devices, officially they are for all products running on iOS - which includes iPhones.
However, research group Ovum tellsIT Pro that the iPhone 7 won't enhance Apple's enterprise strategy particularly.
Mike Sapien, analyst for Ovum's US Enterprise Practice, said: "I did not hear anything specific that will build on its enterprise strategy or adoption. At the same list price, it seems like the only major attraction will be any upgrade program that promotes the upgrade or switch from Android devices, which are not likely but may be offered by the mobile operators. I can't see major moves by businesses to promote the switch from what I have heard so far."';
However, the use of iOS in business grew in Q3 2015, according to a report from Good Technology, having lost some market share to Android in the first half of the year, and it has always been the most popular OS used in the enterprise.
With this in mind, it is likely, therefore, that the iPhone 7 will eventually be a success in the enterprise although uptake will almost certainly be slower and steadier than in the consumer space.
News
06/03/2017:A red iPhone 7 could be the newest addition to Apple's flagship device line up, according to rumours. Not only that,Get Readinghas suggested it could be launching later this month at an as yet unannounced Apple event that could also see the release of a new iPad Pro and a higher capacity iPhone SE.
This would be in keeping with Apple's usual March announcement, which is the only time it tends to launch new products apart from September.
A red iteration of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus would be in support of Bono and Bobby Shriver'sHIV/AIDS campaign, under the (RED) banner. Apple has taken part in the campaign for the last few years, alongside other companies such as Mophie, which makes a special edition red Juice Pack for the iPhone 7 already and Beats, another Apple-owned company, which has launched special edition headphones for the cause.
The (RED) iPhones in the past haven't cost any extra, although companies involved are required to donate a proportion of the sales to the charity.
24/02/2017:Samsung isn't the only mobile maker with battery woes: Apple is now investigating an apparent battery fire on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Video of a phone owned by a teenager in Arizona is making the rounds, showing the device smoking with a cracked body.
The iPhone owner had brought the device into an Apple Store the day before the incident, complaining that it wasn't turning on. It started to smoke while plugged in to charge next to her as she slept.
Apple has reportedly said it's in touch with the customer and looking into the incident.
While there have been reports of other iPhone 7 Plus batteries overheating, the handset has been on sale since September with few such complaints, suggesting the issue may be a few flawed or damaged batteries, rather than a widespread fault like that seen by Samsung.
09/11/2016:Apple's new iPhone 7 came with a new choice of colour, 'Jet Black', which gives the smartphone a glossy appearance, thanks to a nine-step process that includes anodisation and polish.
This new colour was extremely popular among iPhone 7 customers, despite reports that it was extremely delicate and could be damaged fairly easily.
According to a report written by the Japanese publicationMac Otakara, Apple could be considering whether to add a new 'Jet White' colour to those available for iPhone 7 smartphones.
Demand for Apple's new device is particularly high, with many customers still waiting to receive their iPhone 7, particularly in the new Jet Black colouring, and in its Plus version.
On October 25, during a conference call with analysts, Apple chief financial officer Luca Maestri said: "Worldwide demand for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus has significantly outpaced supply, particularly on iPhone 7 Plus."
Apple's new flagship smartphone was launched on 16 September and comes with new features such as dual camera and wireless headphones connected to the phone through a new system called lightening.
Other colours for the iPhone 7 include silver, normal black, gold and rose gold matte.
27/10/2016:Several websites are offering iPhone users in China the possibility to purchase 'iPhone makeover kits', false cameras and dust plugs that hide the headphone jack, to make an iPhone 6 or 6s look like the new iPhone 7.
Several iPhone users are buying these items and re-vamping their old Apple devices instead of buying the new flagship model.
Should this trend spread, it could be detrimental for Apple, which is hoping the new device will help boost its sales.
This mirrors the popular opinion among Chinese Apple users that iPhone 7 is not innovative enough to prompt them to buy it.
A Beijing-based sales workertold Tech 2he was getting a Shenzhen firm to replace his iPhone 6's case, saying: "I don't have the money to upgrade, and the (iPhone) 7 is just so-so."
On Tuesday, Apple's last quarterly statement showed a decline in iPhone sales globally, with Greater China's revenue down by 30% to $8.79 billion.
Counterpoint analyst Neil Shah said: "The iPhone 7 series should help Apple regain lost (China) market share as demand is tracking better than for the iPhone 6s series. Apple needs to offer something cutting-edge to appeal to maturing Chinese smartphone users who are warming to local brands."
10/10/2016:Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said he now thinks the new Lightning audio port on iPhone 7 was a good idea, inan interview withTechRadar.
In August, Wozniak toldThe Australian Financial Reviewthat he believed dropping the headphone jack would "tick off a lot of people".
However, he has since changed his mind, andhe said: "Not that many people used it, I never used it. For those who do use it, you can buy a little adaptor dongle."
Wozniak also had a change of heart in regards to the Apple Watch. "I've come to like my Apple Watch more... I use it enough in my life for things...I enjoy using it and having it. And when I don't use it, I don't even know it's there," he toldTechRadar.
In March, the Apple co-founder had expressed his scepticism about the wearable in a post onReddit. The post read: "I worry a little bit about- I mean I love my Apple Watch, but - it's taken us into a jewelry market where you're going to buy a watch between $500 or $1100 based on how important you think you are as a person.
"The only difference is the band in all those watches. Twenty watches from $500 to $1100. The band's the only difference? Well this isn't the company that Apple was originally, or the company that really changed the world a lot."
Wozniak engineered Apple 1, the first home computer with keyboard and TV screen as a display. While Steve Jobs took care of the creative aspect of Apple products, Wozniak was the mind behind the construction of Apple's first computers and devices.
30/09/2016:An iPhone 7 has reportedly exploded during delivery, prompting fears that Apple's flagship may be suffering similar battery problems tothe ill-fated Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
One customer received their device only to discover that it appeared to have caught fire and exploded while en route, according to colleague andReddit user 'kroopthesnoop'.
They posted photos of their coworker's destroyed iPhone, noting that they're "not certain" what happened but adding, "something happened between the factory and delivery".
The pictures show that the iPhone was discoloured, partially melted and with the screen coming away from the chassis. The unit bears a strong resemblance to the Note 7 models which overheated and exploded, an incident which prompted Samsung to initiate a full recall of the device.
However, unlike the Note 7, this fault does not appear to be affecting numerous devices. Apple did not respond when asked if multiple customers had reported similar issues.
26/09/2016:Research firm GfK has revealed iPhone 7 sales were lower than expected, saying sales of both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were down 25 per cent year-on-year.
If GfK's numbers are right, that means Apple shifted less than 10m iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets between September 16th and 19th.
However, unlike previous years, Apple didn't release its own sales figures for the iPhone 7 on its launch weekend, explaining in its statement it was due to distribution complications rather than negative shipment results.
"In years past, we've announced how many new iPhones had been sold as of the first weekend following launch. But as we have expanded our distribution through carriers and resellers to hundreds of thousands of locations around the world, we are now at a point where we know before taking the first customer pre-order that we will sell out of iPhone 7.
These initial sales will be governed by supply not demand, we have decided that it is no longer a representative metric for our investors and customers. Therefore we won't be releasing a first-weekend number any longer. We are reiterating the financial guidance for the September quarter that we provided on July 26."
However, Apple said it was expecting the same amount of interest from consumers in the launch weekend because it was allowing preorders a week before it was available from stores.
Last year, Apple sold 13m iPhone 6S and 6S Plus devices over the launch weekend compared to 10m iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices in 2014.
14/09/2016:The iPhone 7 has already broken pre-order records, according to US mobile networks.
Wireless carrier T-Mobile announced that once presales opened on 9 September, the iPhone 7 set a single-day sales record, more than any other smartphone ever sold by the company.
Sprint also announced that iPhone 7 and 7 Plus preorders increased by around 375% over the first three days of availability, when compared with last year's 6s and 6s Plus.
This demand was mirrored in the UIK, where the iPhone 7 launch spurred the biggest one-day spike in UK traffic to Apple's website that the site had ever seen. According to digital market intelligence firm SimilarWeb, the site received a 235% boost in visits on the iPhone 7's launch day.
07/09/2016 update:The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have both launched today at Apple's special event in San Francisco.
They have a new home button with force touch and taptic feedback, an A-10 chip, which makes them both faster and more battery efficient than their predecessors, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and have a brighter, higher-resolution screen.
The worst-kept secret in tech - that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will have no 3.5mm headphone jack - was also confirmed. As expected, the devices will use the lightning connector as an audio output and will ship with a pair of lightning EarPods. The company is also launching a set of wireless "AirPods" (EarPods with no physical connector) in October, but they will cost 159.
Another widely rumoured feature a dual lens rear camera also turned out to be true. However, it is only available on the iPhone 7 Plus, not the iPhone 7.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus are available in five colours - Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, (shiny) Jet Black and (matte) Black.
Both smartphones are available to pre-order from 9 September and ship on 16 September when they also hit shelves in retail stores. iOS 10, which the devices will run on, is available to download from 13 September.
07/09/2016:It's iPhone 7 launch day!
The iPhone 7 and its big brother, the iPhone 7 Plus, are set to be announced today at a special launch event in San Francisco, amidst much fanfare.
Rumours so far indicate the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will look identical to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with a handful of new features - some controversial, others a little more mainstream.
Last night, a leak from Apple's own store showed the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus listed as compatible devices for some accessories, including the company's new EarPods.
Recent rumours suggest Apple will scrap the 3.5mm headphone port and instead insist people use Bluetooth to connect or be forced to buy an adaptor so they fit into the device's Lightning port.
It also may introduce a pressure-sensitive home button that won't have moving parts like the iPhone, which will also help it be more waterproof too.
The camera may be upgraded too, with storage options ranging from 32GB to 256GB.
Additionally, while the iPhone doesn't normally go on sale the same day it's announced,IT Prosources have indicated it is likely to be in UK shops from 19 September.
You can find out how to watch the event, plus follow our live blog from 5.30pm UK time,at our dedicated page.
Image credits: Main image and page 3 concepts Yasser Farahi - Oval Picture. Page 1 concepts, Marek Weidlich on Behance. Page 2 concept Jan-Willem Reusnik - Flickr. All image rights remain with the original creators.
