As we draw closer to the reveal of the next version of Apple’s iPhone, rumours surrounding the phone are starting to drop at a fast pace.
It looks like Apple is set to make substantial changes to its upcoming high-end version of the iPhone, often referred to as the iPhone Pro or the iPhone 8, if new speculation is accurate.
New rumours indicate that in an effort to accommodate the predicted removal of the home button and a nearly bezel-less display, Apple could be planning to utilize the new screen ‘notch’ that sits between the phone’s camera and its sensors in a unique way.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, an often reliable source of Apple leaks, the tech giant plans to replace functionality traditionally tied to the home button — returning to the home screen, accessing Siri and launching multitasking — through a new contextual navigation dock.
The dock that houses commonly-used apps will function similarly to the iPad version of iOS 11. Placed underneath the new dock is a thin software bar that allows users to drag up from the middle of the display to open the phone. The same gesture can also be used to launch multitasking when using an app. If the above two sentences sound confusing, you’re not wrong. It seems like this new dock functionality is something users will likely need to experience to fully grasp.
And what the 'iPhone 8' homescreen could look like — iPad-style Dock and edge-gesture indicator (via @charavel) pic.twitter.com/mA1Iv2Fq4G
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) August 30, 2017
Multitasking is also set to be redesigned to look like individual cards that can be swiped through. This is contrast to the current design that features a stack of cards.
The new status bar, however, is probably the next iPhone’s most interesting feature. This section of the display is split into two sides on each side of the phone’s notch. The left side displays the time, while the right side show cellular and Wi-fi connectivity, as well as remaining battery life. This status bar is also set to change based on what app is running, similar to Apple’s USB-C MacBook Pro Touch.
It’s important to note that these rumours stem from just one source and that the final user interface for the iPhone 8 could be substantially different. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, another reliable source of Apple leaks, recently pointed out on Twitter that the UI Gurman describes actually matches iOS 11 gestures leaked back in May. This would indicate that there’s probably at least some level of accuracy to Gurman’s claims.
It’s likely that this new user interface will only be featured in Apple’s iPhone 8 and not the expected iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, the tech giant’s more iterative update to the iPhone.
Earlier this week, rumours indicated that the next iPhone could have a price tag as high as $999 USD. Other leaks include the next iPhone utilizing proprietary Apple-developed facial recognition technology for unlocking the device and payments.
