Followers of the ways of Apple will know that September is usually a very important month for iPhone enthusiasts: it tends to be the time when the Cupertino-based company refreshes its range of phone and iPads. In line with this thinking, many are expecting the iPhone 7 to be released after the two-year cycle of the 6 comes to an end. However, rumours are starting to emerge that suggest Apple may choose to delay the release of the 7 until next year and instead release a new 6 edition, perhaps called the 6se.
Why would Apple delay the iPhone 7?
There's one compelling reason why Apple may choose to delay the 7 until next year: 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the iPhone and it is reasoned that Apple would want to announce the iPhone 7 to coincide with this date. It is rumoured that the 7 will showcase several new features such as an edge-to-edge OLED display and possibly an all-glass body. The other problem with releasing an iPhone 7 this year is that the tenth anniversary would then be left with the slightly underwhelming release of the 's' model which would have few eye-catching advancements to show off.
What will the iPhone 6se bring to the table?
Unsurprisingly, if the various leaked photos are anything to go by, the new iPhone will largely look the same as the 6s. Some of the minor changes could include the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack and the antenna bands being moved to the edges of the handset. It is also hoped that the base 16gb memory option will be phased out since it is woefully inadequate in the data-hungry, high-definition era. Instead, 32gb will be the new base memory while maintaining a similar price point as seen with 16gb.
Apple is expected to announce the new phone in early September. If the rumoured release date of September 16th for the new iPhone is correct, then that would likely mean an announcement in the first week of the month.
Whatever the date, it will be interesting to see what Apple enthusiasts make of this possible decision to delay the iPhone 7 and whether the iPhone 6se will bring enough of a change to warrant its purchase.