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Apple Leak Confirms iPhone 7 Serious Problem

This article is more than 7 years old.

We know almost everything about the upcoming iPhone 7: the protruding camera, famously missing headphone jack, upgraded storage options, the lack of a home ‘button’ and now we have a new detailed video comparing the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 6S. But what the video reveals for me is one big problem...

How is the iPhone 7 going to excite mainstream customers?

Watching the full video (attained by the prolific and consistently accurate Nowhereelse.fr) is like playing a game of Spot The Difference:

Yes tech fans will point to the aforementioned camera, the refined antenna lines and inevitable internal upgrades but to mainstream tech buyers the iPhone 7 looks like the 2014 iPhone 6 yet again and without an easy way to plug in their headphones.

'The only thing that’s changed is everything’ was Apple ’s marketing tactic to spice up interest in the visually identical iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, but sales dramatically fell for the first time in iPhone history.

Another ‘There’s exciting stuff, you just can’t see it’ campaign for the iPhone 7 isn’t going to reignite consumers’ passion, whether or not you believe in “Peak iPhone”.

There’s not even a major new technology this time around like 3D Touch in the iPhone 6S to hang iPhone 7 hopes on. Just the knowledge you’ll need a headphone adaptor and not be able to listen to music while charging your phone.

Better camera? Sure. Faster? Of course. Better external speaker sound? Indeed. But few will cite these as areas in desperate need of improvement from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S.

Ultimately if you’re going to take away something customers love and rely upon like the headphone jack, you better bury this bad news around killer replacement features (like an exciting new design or even the catch up of wireless charging) but with the iPhone 7 Apple doesn’t - one isolated leak aside - appear to have them.

None of which is to say the iPhone 7 will flop. It won't. Hundreds of millions will still be sold as users with older iPhones look to upgrade, but there’s nothing exciting here.

In fact only those wedded to the joys of iOS (and the promise of iOS 10) would pick the iPhone 7 over the Galaxy S7 with its stunning display, class leading camera, huge battery, wireless charging, expandable storage, water resistance… and yes, headphone jack. So it’s no surprise sales have swung Samsung’s way.

Apple built its reputation on being a class leader, a category redefiner and a style icon. The promises of a radical iPhone 8 in 2017 may see it reclaim all those things and Apple may still have some stunning tricks up its sleeve with the iPhone 7 - even this late in the day.

But right now the more we learn about the iPhone 7, the more it becomes clear that (at least for now) Apple is off the pace...

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