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New iPhone edges closer

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 24 Aug 2016
The new 5.5-inch iPhone Pro is expected to have two curved edges, similar to top tier Samsung devices.
The new 5.5-inch iPhone Pro is expected to have two curved edges, similar to top tier Samsung devices.

The next rendition of iPhones is expected to be released next month, and could be as many as three handsets, including a high-end iPhone Pro with a curved screen.

If this sounds familiar, it is because rival Samsung has sported this feature in its high-end phones for the last two years.

"There will be a 4.7-inch [iPhone] model, another that will be 5.5-inches and a premium handset that will be either 5.5-inches or larger equipped with a screen bent on the two sides," a source told the Nikkei Asian Review.

Arthur Goldstuck, World Wide Worx MD, says the design of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was one of the most significant shifts in the mobile market last year.

Apple may be trying to play catch-up, while trying to regain market share from rival Android.

In April, a day after the company reported its first fall in smartphone sales, Apple's shares closed down 6.3% at $97.82, wiping off about $36 billion in market value.

At the time, Reuters reported analysts saying the company's immediate future rests with the iPhone 7.

"If iPhone 7 doesn't surprise with meaningful new useful features, we worry that consumers won't upgrade," Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter wrote in a note to clients.

"And unfortunately, nothing that we've seen about iPhone 7 thus far strikes us as particularly innovative."

In July, a video was leaked that showed the iPhone 7 would look similar to its predecessors, the iPhone 6 and 6S, with most of the change on the inside.

The video showed the antenna running along the sides, not the back, and no headphone jack.

In May, it was reported the new iPhone will feature a dual-camera set-up, like the LG G5 and Huawei P9, as well as waterproofing, like the Samsung Galaxy S7, and a bigger battery and faster processor.

The rumours this year suggest Apple is giving the iPhone 7 features that a lot of top-end Android phones already have, but at much lower prices.

A new, cheaper and smaller iPad Mini and revised Apple Watch are also expected to be announced next month.

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