The The Wall Street Journal reports Apple’s upcoming “iPhone 8” will boast a curved OLED display, do away with the physical Home button, and will replace the current Lightning connector with a USB-C port.
Apple had been studying flexible organic light-emitting diode or OLED screens similar to those used by rival Samsung Electronics Co. and had asked suppliers for prototypes, The Wall Street Journal reported in November.
People with direct knowledge of Apple’s production plans said the Cupertino, Calif., company has decided to go ahead with the technology, and it will release a phone model using the OLED screens this year.
Today’s report jibes with previous predictions from the well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in saying Apple will release three new devices this year – Two “S” phones with traditional LCD displays, and a “10th Anniversary Edition” iPhone 8.
WSJ’s “People with direct knowledge of Apple’s production plans” sources also told them Apple will replace the traditional physical Home button with a touch-enabled area on the iPhone 8.
USB-C?
Now for the piece of the WSJ report that is sure to cause controversy. The report claims Apple will replace the Lightning connector on all three new iPhones with a USB-C port. While many Apple users would claim the Cupertino firm would never replace a connector that is used across the entire lineup of devices, the same was said when rumors began circulating in 2012 that Apple would replace their 30-pin connector with the Lightning connector.
Today’s mention of the USB-C port certainly flies in the face of other reports about possible features for the new iPhones have not mentioned a USB-C connector. A Mac Otakara report claimed Apple’s Lightning to USB-C cable would remain an optional purchase, despite the fact that new MacBook and MacBook Pro models all feature USB-C reports in place of traditional USB-A connections.
As usual, this is all strictly rumors and whispers at this point, so take reports such as this with a grain of your favorite low-sodium seasoning.
(Via MacRumors)
