What’s Next for the iPhone 6s?

The brand new iPhone 6s is scheduled to be unveiled on September 9th and a lot of people are speculating about what features will come with it. Here are a few of the rumors that are currently floating around the internet:

– Improved Touch ID features
– Similar aesthetic design to the current 6/6+
– Memory bump to 2 GB of RAM
– Upgrade to the A9 processor
– Available in rose gold, gold, space gray and silver
– New case design to prevent a repeat of the “Bendgate” disaster
– Addition of a rear-facing microphone and upgraded 12MP camera
– Screen sizes are expected to remain the same at 4.7 and 5.5 inches

Force Touch

Force Touch was initially introduced with the Apple Watch launch, and it could be making its way to the iPhone. This feature allows the device to distinguish between a light tap and a hard press, which made total sense for the Apple Watch and its limited screen real estate.

While Force Touch is relatively new technology, Apple is trying to integrate this kind of functionality into a lot of their mainstream products such as the 12 inch Retina MacBook trackpad, and has already done so on certain models. This opens up a new realm of possibilities for mobile app and game developers as one limiting feature of these apps was that you had to commit an action every time someone touched the screen.

With this kind of functionality, app and game developers will be able to take advantage of an expanded set of actions and reactions based on the firmness of the touch on a screen.

Release Date

Traditionally, iPhones are usually released in September on a two-year cycle, where one year launches a new design followed by an enhanced version the next year. While this is purely speculation at this point, here’s what we know so far:

– Apple is scheduled to hold its annual announcement event on September 7th, which is when we expect to see the details on the new iPhone
– Pre-orders are speculated to be available on September 11th
– The official launch of the iPhone 6s is speculated to be on September 18th

Camera Improvements

One of the most hyped features is the brand new and improved camera. Current rumors are that there’s actually going to be a two-lens system on the iPhone 6s, and it’s going to be one of the biggest improvements ever made to the iPhone. However, before you get too excited, there are other rumors indicating that Apple plans on sticking with the 8-megapixel sensor currently being used.

Where did this rumor come from? Back in April, Apple acquired a company called LinX Imaging for $20 million. LinX is an Israeli company that specializes in developing DSLR-quality camera technology for mobile devices. Naturally, the gossip hounds expect to see this incorporated into the next iPhone update, but only time will tell as to what extent it will be utilized, if at all.

Will it be the iPhone6s or iPhone7?

There are some rumors being reported that the next iPhone may not even get the conventional “s” designation, but simply be launched as the iPhone 7 instead. These rumors came from analysts who suggested that the updates are so significant that it wouldn’t make sense to associate the new version with its predecessor. However, even if the rumor mill is on point regarding the new features of the next-gen iPhone, it might not be enough for Apple to abandon its naming routine.

Conclusion

The updates expected in the next-gen iPhone will likely contain the conventional performance boosts we’ve seen in the past. However, the possibility of DSLR imaging and integration of a rear-facing mic, thereby putting high-end mobile video production tools in everyone’s pocket, could make the upcoming iteration a game changer.