14 DAY TRIAL // The next-year iPhone, which could be called iPhone 8, is expected to represent a major overhaul in terms of design and features, with sources familiar with the matter suggesting that a glass body with metal frame and OLED screen are all likely to be adopted.
And now, there’s a new report coming from Korea which provides us with a new hint regarding a possible feature coming on the iPhone 8. The Korea Economic Daily writes that Apple and LG signed a partnership focused on the production of 3D camera modules for a future iPhone model.
Details are very scarce at the moment, but the source notes that the 3D camera tech is supposed to be used on Apple products “from the latter half of next year,” which is most likely a sign that the iPhone 8 could be the very first model to get it - the next iPhone is projected to launch in the fall as per Apple’s typical release schedule.
If we’re trying to connect the dots, it all makes sense for Apple. First and foremost, this is without a doubt a hardware partnership, so Apple needs to supply the software for a 3D camera to work on iPhones.
Hardware and software
Cupertino already has the software for such a project, as the firm previously purchased Israeli imaging company LinX last year, taking control of its enhanced camera system that also includes 3D depth mapping. This technology is already being used on the existing iPhones, including for the Portrait Mode available on the iPhone 7 Plus, but Apple clearly sees the potential of exploring the 3D world.
At the same time, Apple already owns several patents that hinted at a 3D future for the iPhone, so even if the next-year model doesn’t get such a camera, there’s a good chance that a future iPhone will have it.
Is this in any way related to Apple’s efforts to integrate augmented reality support in the iPhone? It could be, especially because Tim Cook himself admitted that this is one of the features that they’re looking for right now and which could make its way onto their products in the coming years.
At first glance, the iPhone 8 is indeed going to be a major revamp of the iPhone lineup, and it really makes sense. It’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and Apple has every reason in the world to make it a hit.