Apple’s 2016 Roadmap For Updated MacBook, MacBook Air And Pro Revealed

After focusing primarily on the potential existence of the iPhone 5se, as well as the potential introduction of iPad Air 3 in March, Apple is now expected to also introduce new and updated 12-inch and 13.3-inch MacBooks sooner rather than later. According to a new report, the Cupertino-based giant is expected to focus a lot of its attention on starting the production of new MacBook models at either the end of Q1, or the beginning of Q2. This could potentially pave the way for larger MacBook models to be introduced later in the year.

If the suggestion turns out to be true then those in the market for a new portable computer can expect updated 12-inch MacBook and 13.3-inch MacBook Pro/Air models to land potentially soon after Q2 2016. If models with a larger screen real estate are your thing, then the same report is suggesting that Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro models will be refreshed some time during Q3 2016.

All of this could mean that potential buyers will be able to choose from a whole new updated range of MacBook models before the close of the calendar year:

Makers in the supply chain are expected to start producing new 12- and 13.3-inch MacBooks at the end of the first quarter or in early second quarter, and 15-inch models in the third quarter

The report is also suggesting that Apple expects shipment levels of MacBooks and iMac computers to remain consistent with 2015 levels during 2016. Sales of Macs rose by 4.03-percent during the last calendar year, resulting in more than 20 million units being shipped around the globe. That rise also brought increased Mac revenues to Apple with a rise of 2.61% to an estimated $25.27 billion. Shipments across the range of MacBook machines, accounted for approximately 15 million units of the total sales, with iMacs making up the rest.

It’s still up for debate what features and improvements will ship with a refreshed MacBook range. Apple will of course be working internally on the next major version of OS X, which will likely be shown off in the first instance at this year’s WWDC in June, and it is expected that the company may unveil some of these newer models at the event as well. However, it’s speculated that any improved MacBook range will include an upgrade to Intel’s new Skylake processors, as well as the adoption of Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C.

(Source: DigiTimes)

Next Year’s iPhone To Feature True Wireless Charging That Works From A Distance

An anonymous source claiming to have privileged inside information of Apple’s plans has suggested that the smartphone giant is working on an advanced wireless charging solution for future iPhone models. It is being suggested that Apple is currently working closely with partners in the United States and Asia to overcome serious technical challenges associated with developing a wireless charging solution that doesn’t require the iPhone to be in close proximity to a charging pad.

The partnership with the external companies is said to be one that will allow Apple to develop technologies that go above and beyond what already exists in the world of mobile smartphone and tablet charging. In the current climate, wireless charging has been introduced to a number of popular smartphones available on today’s market, but they require the device to be placed onto a connected charging pad for power to be passed through. Apple is said to be looking to explore “cutting-edge” technologies that would obliterate existing technical barriers for true wireless charging from a distance.

The sole aim of the project is to find a way to allow future iPhones and iPads to be charged without being tethered to a wall outlet, or placed directly onto a charging mat. The benefit to users of being able to charge devices without actually having to be in close proximity to a charging station is clear. With that said, there’s still a distance to go in actually perfecting the technology and overcoming obstacles and hurdles like trying to ensure that power isn’t lost when traveling over the distances involved. If all goes well, the report suggests that we could see this introduced into Apple’s mobile devices as early as 2017, although that seems a little optimistic.

There’s been a fair bit of analyst talk over the last few weeks suggesting that Apple is potentially in for a rough time in the near future due to the slowing sales of the iPhone. The iPhone and iPad are currently responsible for more than 75-percent of Apple’s annual turnover, meaning that it’s most definitely in the company’s best interest to release new hardware that has the competitive edge over other devices in the market by utilizing new technologies. Wireless charging is certainly a popular feature within smartphones, and if Apple could overcome some of the obstacles associated with it over longer distances then it would definitely be a game changer.

(Source: Bloomberg)

iPad Air 3 Design Leaked, 4 Speakers And Rear Camera Flash Shown

Newly leaked technical drawings appear to show the as yet unannounced iPad Air 3, complete with a new four-speaker audio setup as well as an LED rear-facing flash to accompany the device’s camera.

The drawings, which have popped up on French website Nowhereelse.fr, show what is claimed to be an iPar Air 3 viewed from the rear, with the Apple logo and what looks to be an iPad Pro-like four-speaker audio system that would allow sound to be presented in full stereo no matter the orientation in which the device is placed. While iPads have historically been relatively good at the external speaker stakes, anyone who has witnessed an iPad Pro in action will readily admit that the four-speaker alternative is superior.

The fact that the iPad Pro’s new speakers are potentially making their way to the iPad Air lineup is no big surprise, but what really makes us raise an eyebrow is the apparent inclusion of an LED flash. Sitting beside or above the rear camera depending on orientation, the LED flash will allow for night-time photography, but its inclusion is an interesting one. While some users do insist on using their tablets to take photos, few would argue that the iPad makes for a good camera, and the inclusion of an LED flash is unlikely to change that. Still, for what these things cost to include in a device, it probably makes more sense for it to be there than not.

While Nowhereelse.fr can’t guarantee that this new leak is genuine, the site does point out that this leaker does have form for being accurate in such matters. With that in mind, and the fact that Apple is apparently set to announce a new iPad Air at an upcoming March media event, we’re going to go ahead and assume that this leak is right on the money – at least we hope so, but more for those speakers than the flash!

Safari Crashing On iOS Or Mac? Here’s How To Fix

Apple’s Safari web browser has been the debate of much discussion over the last few days. First, it was reported that some interesting JavaScript code bug had the ability to self-generate a never-ending string of text that would ultimately cause Safari on iOS to give up the fight, crash out, and ultimately force the device to reboot. Now, it’s being reported that a number of users around the world are having serious issues with Safari on iOS and OS X crashing and displaying quirky UI bugs when attempting to enter URLs into the address bar.

Different users are reporting a few different issues with Safari. Some are reporting that simply tapping into the URL bar is causing an instant crash of Apple’s web browser, resulting in the need to relaunch Safari and hope for the best. Others are reporting that the typed information in the URL bar is suffering from user-interface glitches and preventing them from editing or entering additional text. Apple hasn’t officially responded to this new bug yet, but the root cause of the issue appears to be related to the Safari Suggestions feature.

Safari Suggestions exists to try and make the process of searching for specific things on the Internet a lot quicker and more efficient. When users start typing something into the address bar within Safari, Apple immediately catches that search query, uploads it to their own servers and fires suggestions back, based on what the server thinks the user may be looking for. This could be autocompleting search queries, a list of top recommended sites that match the information entered, as well as additional info pertaining to the user’s search. Without official confirmation it’s difficult to surmise the exact problem, but it looks as though something has changed on Apple’s side to cause the problem.

A number of those affected users have reported that proactively disabling Safari Suggestions on iOS and OS X provides relief from the issue. Here’s how you can do that:

How to disable Safari Suggestions in iOS:

Step 1: To begin, launch the Settings app, scroll down and tap Safari.

Step 2: Here, simply disable Safari Suggestions.

How to disable Safari Suggestions in OS X

Step 1: Launch the Safari browser. Click on the Safari tab from the menu bar followed byPreferences.

Step 2: Here, click the Search tab, and disable Include Safari Suggestions in the “Smart Search Field” section.

The tip described above is something of a temporary fix as it essentially means removing one of Safari’s most useful features in order to be able to actually interact with the app again in the short-term.

Apple is aware of the issue and will hopefully make the required changes on server side to fix the problem, after which you can re-enable the Safari Suggestions feature on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Update x1: Apple says Safari web browser crashing bug on iOS and OS X is now fixed.

Apple Q1 2016: Record 74.8 Million iPhones Sold In Holiday Quarter, The Largest In History

Apple has just posted its 2016 Q1 results, and it’s been yet another stellar quarter for the company from Cupertino. Amid constant rumors that Apple’s flagship smartphone, the iPhone 6s/6s Plus isn’t doing as well as the company had hoped, Apple has once again produced numbers that its competition can only dream of.

The big numbers that most will care about include a record quarterly revenue of $75.9 billion and record quarterly net income of $18.4 billion. In comparison, the same period a year ago saw revenue of $74.6 billion and net income of $18 billion, meaning Apple has somehow managed to continue its continual improvement year on year.

Gross margin, according to Apple’s press statement, was 40.1 percent compared to 39.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66 percent of the quarter’s revenue, which is a statistic that some people will find particularly interesting given all the talk about how important countries such as China are to Apple’s bottom line.

This quarter’s numbers are, as mentioned, impressive given the fact analysts predicted that Apple would see its first ever drop in iPhone sales since its launch in 2007 during this period, specifically because iPhone 6s/6s Plus was not deemed worthy of an upgrade to iPhone 6/6 Plus series. In reality, the iPhone actually saw a slight uptick in sales as Apple sold a record 74.8 millions iPhones in last quarter compared to 74.5 million in the year ago quarter, perhaps once again proving that analysts know very little about what Apple is up to. Apple selling 74.8 million iPhones in last quarter means the company sold 34,000 iPhones per hour for 24 hours a day for 13 consecutive weeks!

Apple CEO Tim Cook was understandably rather pleased with his lot. After all, why wouldn’t he be?

“Our team delivered Apple’s biggest quarter ever, thanks to the world’s most innovative products and all-time record sales of iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The growth of our Services business accelerated during the quarter to produce record results, and our installed base recently crossed a major milestone of one billion active devices.”

It’s not all great news for Apple though as iPad and Macs registered yet another year on year decline, with iPad falling from 21.4 million unit sold to 16.1 million despite the introduction of theiPad Pro in the same quarter, and Macs falling from 5.5 million units sold to 5.3 million units sold.

As for the next quarter, Apple is offering guidance to the tune of revenue somewhere between $50 billion and $53 billion, with a gross margin of between 39% and 39.5%.

iPhone 7 Concept Shows Virtual Home Button, iOS 10 With Home Screen Widgets, More [Video]

Believe it or not, we are still a good eight months or so away from the iPhone 7 being announced, assuming Apple sticks to the tried and tested release schedule that it has been adhering to for some time now. We have no reason to think that this year will be any different, so yeah, eight months.

With that timescale in mind, we’re a little surprised by just how much iPhone 7 news is already appearing, whether that be supposed parts leaks – we’ve seen the iPhone 7’s display parts, if you believe the leaks – or simply fan-made concept art. It’s that latter category we are most interested in today, though, with a new iPhone 7 concept from iPhone-Tricks YouTube channel very much catching our attention.

The reasons for that are many, though we’re more interested in the software at hand than the hardware. True, the concept does show some pretty impressive edge-to-edge display action going on with the Home button integrated into the screen as per a certain rumor, similar to a previousiPhone 7 concept, but it’s the version of iOS 10 shown in this concept that has us most interested. With icons that turn into widgets when touched just so, a Dock that can be resized to allow for more app icons and a swiping gesture for that new Home button that would allow users to go back instead of reaching to the top-left of the ever-expanding screen all the time, this vision for what iOS 10 could offer hits just the right notes for us.

Unfortunately, we doubt that Apple will be doing even a fraction of what this concept highlights, but with WWDC 2016 not too far away now – it’s certainly closer than the iPhone 7 – we shouldn’t be waiting all that long before we see iOS 10 in all its glory. Let’s just hope it’s as impressive as Mac OS X was back in the day.

Watch the concept in action in the video embedded below.

(Source: iPhone-Tricks [YouTube])

iOS 9.3 Code Suggests iPhone 7 Will Indeed Get Rid Of The 3.5mm Headphone Jack

We may have only had the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus for a few months, but there’s already plenty of speculation running rife about the future of Apple’s wildly popular smartphone. We have already been told time and time again that Apple is planning on shipping the iPhone 7 without the inclusion of the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Until now that has been based purely on speculation and analysis from industry insiders, but with a discovery in iOS 9.3 beta 1.1, those speculations have been given a solid foundation. The code suggests that the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack will in fact become a reality.

It’s common practice for those with the technical know-how to grab any pre-release software that Apple releases and investigate the internals thoroughly to see if there’s any inclusions that could give away features or functionality that could potentially be on Apple’s roadmap. The release of iOS 9.3 beta 1.1 certainly hasn’t escaped that attention with a Twitter user posting a screenshot of a cache from within iOS 9.3 beta 1.1. That image clearly makes reference to the fact that the new iPhone will not have a 3.5mm headphone jack as part of its structure.

According to the poster, the line “Headphones.have.%sinput.NO” within the cache, is a clear indication that Apple is intending to push forward with an iPhone that entirely embraces wireless and Lightning audio solutions. There’s no specific mention within the codebase or files that the iPhone 7 will be the first device to ship with this converged Lightning port to handle data transfer, power, and audio, but it would make perfect sense that the beginning of the transition would be placed into this latest pre-release version of iOS in preparation for a June unveiling of iOS 10 atWWDC 2016. Investigating the internals of iOS has proved to be fairly fruitful of late.

The same Twitter account holder had previously posted an initial screenshot pulled from iOS 9.1 that made reference to “LiFiCapability”, sparking the suggestion that Apple could be experimenting with Li-Fi technology for a future iPhone model. Given the current state of the experimental Li-Fi tech, it’s very unlikely that the next-generation iPhone will have this inclusion, but we’ve seen stranger things happening. Introducing Li-Fi into an iPhone would certainly give the technology the much needed reputation boost that it deserves and would potentially force other large organizations into developing the tech further.

Would you be happy with a redesigned, slimmer iPhone that removes the 3.5mm headphone jack? Or would you prefer trade in any new slim aesthetic to retain the services of the iconic port?

(Source: @kyoufujibaya [Twitter])

Apple Releases iOS 9.2.1 for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

Apple has released iOS 9.2.1 bringing security updates and bug fixes.

This update contains security updates and bug fixes including a fix for an issue that could prevent the completion of app installation when using an MDM server.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://ift.tt/1NgkTx6.

Apple has already released a preview of iOS 9.3 which brings numerous new features. Check out what's new in iOS 9.3 here.

Where to Download iOS 9.2.1:

● iOS 9.2.1 Download Links for iPhone

● iOS 9.2.1 Download Links for iPad

● iOS 9.2.1 Download Links for iPod Touch

Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or RSS for updates.

 

Apple’s 4-inch iPhone Could Be Called iPhone 5e, Not iPhone 6c

We still haven’t heard anything official from Apple regarding the purported 4-inch iPhone that’s supposedly going to launch this year, but still the speculation continues. Now, the latest report to surface is suggesting that Apple could be about to throw a spanner in the works as far as the name of the device goes by potentially marketing it as the “iPhone 5e”, and not the iPhone 6c as many thought.

The intensity of conjecture pertaining to the mysterious device has been ramped up over the last six weeks, with many sources suggesting that we could see the hardware introduced during March event. The new report however, suggests that Apple is planning on going against the expected by branding the would-be new 4-inch iPhone as the ‘iPhone 5e’.

It’s claimed that the “e” in the name would stand for “enhanced”, and refer to the fact that the 4-inch device would come equipped with a number of functions and features that haven’t previously been found in any one of the 4-inch iPhones.

There’s also an accompanying promotional image that shows the iPhone 5e name of the device alongside three of the phones stacked beside one another. There’s no claim that this is leaked marketing material, but nevertheless is looks extremely dubious and leads us to believe that this may not be the direction that Apple would take. With that in mind, the same sources are also providing a bit more information about the potential technical specification of the new device, most of which seems a lot more credible and potentially possible than the ‘5e’ tag.

In addition to the claim that the new phone is already in production at Foxconn, the source(s) have suggested that the internal specification will be more in line with the current-generation iPod touch. This would mean an integrated Apple A8 processor and a relatively disappointing 1GB RAM. If that turns out to be the case then it rubbishes previous speculation suggesting that we could essentially expect a device with premium specifications aimed at a budget audience.

(Source: MyDrivers [Google Translate])

iOS 9.3 Features: Everything New In One Place

Earlier today, Apple began seeding the first beta of iOS 9.3 to developers. The third major update to iOS 9 brings with it quite a few significant changes, including a new f.lux-inspired feature meant to help users sleep at night, welcome changes to Notes, Health, News and CarPlay as well as a preview of an all-new, comprehensive suite of school management features geared towards making life easier for students and teachers, among other things.

It seems Apple is finally done with stabilizing the latest iteration of its mobile OS and is now moving on to introducing new features. Up until now, iOS 9 has been infamous for its performance issues on previous-gen devices, and though the verdict regarding its stability isn’t in yet, it seems Apple is confident enough in that area to begin improving the OS in others.

In what follows, we’re going to be discussing those very changes and new features, one by one.

Night Shift

Apple has borrowed ideas and implementations from jailbreak apps and tweaks in the past, so the introduction of this f.lux-inspired feature doesn’t come as a surprise. Based on your geo-location, ‘Night Shift’ feature will automatically shift the display’s hue to the warm side of the spectrum a the time of sunset because, apparently, blue light is one of sleep’s many enemies.

Touch ID / Password Protection & Sorting For Notes App

The security on Apple’s stock Notes app has been beefed up with the option to lock individual notes with a password or Touch ID while sifting through notes has been made easier with the introduction of alphabetical and date-based sorting.

Better Suggestions & Other Improvements In Apple News App

Apple News now offers a landscape mode on the iPhone as well, fetches videos from within stories, letting you play them right within the feed, and suggests trending topics and Editor’s picks in theFor You section. Apple also claims to have improved personalization and promises faster loading of articles.

Third-Party Fitness App Suggestions In Health App

The Health app now offers third-party app suggestions for tracking fitness metrics such as Weightand Sleep, right on the dashboard, though it seems this feature may not be available in all regions. In addition, users will now be able to view goals, move, exercise, and stand data from their Apple Watch within the app.

Apple Music Suggestions & Maps “Nearby” Feature In CarPlay

For the few among us who own cars that are compatible with the car-tailored interface called CarPlay embedded within iOS, Apple has introduced expert and personalized suggestions from its Apple Music subscription service and added the Nearby feature to the Maps app, making it easier to look for fuel, parking, eating places and other points of interest in the area.

New 3D Touch Quick Actions

Apple has added new 3D Touch Quick Actions for the stock Weather, Health, Stocks and Compass apps as well as App Store and iTunes Store.

Education Preview: New Suite of School Management Features for iPad

Last but not the least is what seems to be Apple’s attempt to further solidify the iPad’s place as the de facto classroom tablet. iOS 9.3’s new suite of education features, available only as a preview in the first beta, and exclusive to iPad, are a web-based management tool and a new breed of Apple IDs aimed at making it easier for students to learn and for teachers to teach.

The first in the list, called Shared iPad, makes the usage of iPads as public devices possible with the introduction of multiple user accounts, each of which offer access to their own data and apps when logged in, and even allows users to continue where they left off. A linked feature called Photo ID displays students’ photos on whatever iPad they’ve been using, making it easier for them to find their tablet at the beginning of a class.

A new app called Classroom will let teachers reset students’ passwords, lock or launch apps on students’ iPads and point them in the right direction through a shared screen experience calledScreen View.

The aforementioned web-based admin tool, called Apple School Manager and hosted over at education.apple.com, offers centralized management with the ability to create Apple IDs for students, teachers and admins, buy apps and build courses.

The Apple IDs created by Apple School Manager will be unique to that setup. From the user’s perspective, these IDs, called Managed Apple IDs, work the same way regular Apple IDs do. Admins, on the other hand, can create Managed Apple IDs in bulk, assign roles, reset passwords and more.

Support For Multiple Apple Watch Units On iPhone

Starting from iOS 9.3 and watchOS 2.2, you can now add multiple Apple Watch units to an iPhone.

Other Features:

Some of the other changes include ability to save full high-resolution still photos from Live Photos taken on iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, Siri getting Malay, Finish and Hebrew support, taptic feedback when 3D Touching to access multitasking switcher, PDF syncing for iBooks in iCloud, and more.

Petition To Keep The 3.5mm Headphone Jack In iPhone 7 Gains Over 200,000 Signatures

It seems that a growing number of iPhone owners aren’t overly happy with the speculation suggesting that Apple is planning on ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack on the next-generation iPhone. Reports pertaining to the removal of the standard headphone jack on the iPhone 7 have been growing in number over the last few weeks, with a number of sources all but confirming that it’s a done deal for Apple’s 2016 smartphone offering. That design decision appears to have ruffled more than a few feathers with over 200,000 disgruntled fans signing a petition that calls for the 3.5mm audio jack to be retained.

The online petition has already surpassed its goal of gaining the support of 210,000 people. At the time of writing the petition – which comes with a somewhat aggressive tagline that “Apple is ditching the standard headphone jack to screw consumers and the planet” – had 217,053 signatures via the SumOfUs website.

It’s understandable that iPhone owners would be somewhat hesitant about the move from the standard 3.5mm headphone jack to a universal Lightning solution that would handle power, data transfer, and audio output, but the wording in the petition attempts to attract signatures by playing on the environmental impact of such a decision:

Apple is about to rip off every one of its customers. Again.

Not only will this force iPhone users to dole out additional cash to replace their hi-fi headphones, it will singlehandedly create mountains of electronic waste — that likely won’t get recycled. According to the United Nations, up to 90% of the world’s electronic waste is illegally traded or dumped each year.

After claiming that the planned move is “right out of the Apple corporate playbook”, it then carries on to suggest that Apple’s interest in being a green company and investing in renewable energy sources only came about thanks to public pressure. The sheer amount of signatures on the petition will probably be more than enough to force Apple to actually take a brief moment to think about the decision, but probably nowhere near enough to prevent it from going ahead with that move.

The Cupertino-based giant has already released a standard as part of its MFi Program that allows third-party manufacturers to produce Lightning-equipped headphones. It’s likely that the existence of this speculation will not only ruffle a few more feathers along the way, but also force accessory makers into acting sooner rather than later to get audio-based Lightning products available for the iPhone 7 launch later this year.

Apart from the Lightning headphones option, users will also obviously be able to use Bluetooth-enabled headphones, and there are likely going to be adapters available for converting 3.5mm jack to Lightning should you still want to use your old pair of headphones.

If you wish to voice your concern on the matter, head over here to sign the petition.

There’s Now Another Way To Hide Apps In iOS 9 Without Jailbreak [Video]

As most iPhone and iPad users will attest, even though Apple’s hardware doesn’t come with too much bloatware installed, there are still some apps that we just don’t want to see. Apple doesn’t make it possible to hide stock apps within iOS, so the Health app, Apple News and other apps that some people would rather forget exist are destined to be visible forever. Well, maybe not.

We have told you in the past of ways to hide apps within iOS without having to go through the trouble of jailbreaking, and while not quite rocket science, there have been drawbacks to those methods. Now, a new method of making apps invisible has come to light, and works just fine with no limitations beyond the fact that it will be undone every time you reboot your device. That, in itself, may be a good or bad thing depending on your preference, so let’s just get straight into how you go about hiding your apps on the iOS Home screen.

Step 1: Create a folder with all of the apps that you want to hide. It doesn’t matter what it’s called – it’s going to disappear in a minute!

Step 2: Now, tap and hold the first app and move it to the folder’s second screen.

Step 3: Now, let go of the icon before tapping and holding it again and moving it to the folder’s third screen. Don’t let go this time.

Step 4: While still holding onto the app, press the Home button. The app’s icon will disappear off the screen, gone until you reboot your device.

Step 5: Repeat the steps for each app that you want to be rid of. Each app will disappear and then the folder that was containing them will also take its leave, and you’re done!

All apps will continue to be accessible via Siri search and the icons will reappear after a reboot as we mentioned, so no need to worry about getting them back at some point.

This process is probably easier and has less drawbacks than previous alternatives, so we’d have to say this is now our preferred method for hiding those apps that we never use. There’s a handy video explaining the method embedded into this post too, so be sure to check that out as well.

Good luck, and happy hiding!

New Report Reaffirms Exclusion Of Headphone Jack On iPhone 7, Will Rely On Bluetooth / Lightning EarPods

An interesting iPhone rumor that was doing the rounds during the latter part of 2015 has started to circulate once again. There had been speculations earlier that Apple is planning to make some drastic design changes with the iPhone 7 in the form of removing the 3.5mm headphone socket. That speculation quickly died down, but has now suddenly emerged like a phoenix from the flames with a number of reports now suggesting that the company is definitely going ahead with such a change in this year’s September-bound iPhone 7.

The initial reporting on the subject suggested that Apple had plans to entirely remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the iPhone in favor of an integrated all-in-one Lightning port solution that would handle connectivity, charging, and audio. The speculative nature of the report, and the fact that the 3.5mm jack has been present on all iPhone models to date and is still the de facto solution for wired headphones, was reason enough for it to have been immediately dismissed as potential fabrication. Now, a new report which cites possible supply chain sources, has reignited the rumor by suggesting that this change is apparently a confirmed one, albeit with one major new addition.

Yes, the iPhone 7 will not come equipped with a headphone jack as part of its DNA, however, the sources in question go as far as suggesting that Apple will manufacturer its own range of Bluetooth headphones for the iPhone 7. There’s no granular information on whether or not those Bluetooth headphones would be included in the box with the iPhone 7 in place of the current 3.5mm-compatible EarPods that Apple currently provides. Considering the company provides a specification for Lightning-equipped headphones as part of its official MFi Program, it would seem ludicrous that no Lightning EarPods are in the works if the rumor is in fact true.

Apple already provides a range of wireless headphones through its Beats brand that would make perfect accompaniments to the iPhone 7 if the 3.5mm jack was removed entirely. And since a Lightning-only solution would mean that iPhone 7 owners would be unable to charge the device and connect Lightning-equipped headphones at the same time, the addition of Bluetooth-based earbuds in the box would make more sense as it would allow the users to charge the phone via Lightning and listen to music wirelessly via Bluetooth at the same time.

Check Out These Colorful Mockups Of Apple’s Rumored 4-Inch iPhone 6c

The speculated existence of Apple’s “iPhone 6c” has managed to well and truly divide opinion. Some well-placed analysts believe that the 4-inch device most definitely exists and will become the first iPhone to go through a spring release cycle. Others aren’t as convinced and can’t understand why Apple which has had unparalleled success with its larger iPhones, still invest in a smaller, potentially budget, 4-inch model. Either way, it’s highly likely that we will know more as we get deeper into 2016, but until then we have these gorgeous, highly detailed mockups and renders to feast our eyes upon.

The gorgeous mockups have been produced to focus entirely on the appearance of the rumored iPhone 6c and come courtesy of 9to5Mac. As you might expect, the designer in question – which in this instance is Ferry Passchier – has chosen to focus on the potential colorful exterior of the rumored device.

A number of reports have suggested that the 4-inch device will be offered to consumers in a range of colors, akin to the rainbow-esque colors that Apple offers on its iPod touch range. The mockups show the phone sporting the Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold, Pink, and Blue colors.

If the 4-inch iPhone 6c does come to fruition, then it seems as though it will be an extremely capable and desirable device for those that long for the good old 4-inch form factor of the older days. Reports are suggesting that the phone will ship with an integrated Apple A9 processor, NFC with Apple Pay, 16GB of internal storage, as well as the Touch ID sensor built into the iconic Home button. There’s also speculation that the new phone could pack 2GB of RAM and larger batterythan the iPhone 5s, which would ensure some truly amazing performance.

The majority of the reports that have been central to the rumors surrounding the iPhone 6c have all agreed that the device will not come with 3D Touch capabilities, nor will it be the first iPhone that includes OLED display technology provided by either LG Display or Samsung. The final specification, as well as the name of the eventual device, is still well and truly up for debate, but the growing interest and speculation suggests that the hardware will become a reality in 2016.