14 DAY TRIAL // Apple will unveil the new iPhone 7 tomorrow as part of a press conference that could bring us some other products too, including the second-generation Apple Watch, and a report claims that shipments of the new model have already started to top markets.
Apple anticipates one very busy first weekend, so the first iPhone 7 units are now being sent to stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and several other markets, according to PhoneRadar. Approximately 371,000 units are on their way to stores, the source adds.
While it’s not yet clear when exactly Apple is projected to begin sales of the new iPhone generation, the company could attempt to break its own first weekend-sales record that was set by the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus last year in October. At that time, a total of 13 million units were sold only in the first weekend, exceeding the 10 million sold units recorded with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the fall of 2014.
Huge expectations
Apple seems to be very confident that the iPhone 7 will sell like hot cakes, and the company has even ramped up production of the model in the last few weeks. Sources with knowledge of the matter indicated that Apple ordered more iPhones in anticipation of the huge demand forecasted for the first months of availability in the top markets.
When looking at the spec sheet, opinions are still mixed on whether Apple’s high expectations for the new iPhone model are well founded or not.
Some claim that the iPhone 7 is more like a dull redesign of the iPhone 6s, and visually speaking, this is actually true. The new model will be very similar to the existing generation with some small exceptions, such as the antenna lines and the new black colors that could be offered exclusively on the top-of-the-range models.
Spec-wise, however, the iPhone 7 will feature several important upgrades, including dual-camera systems on the Plus, the A10 lineup of processors, up to 3GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. Sources familiar with Apple's plans also indicated other improvements, such as waterproofing and a touch-sensitive Home button that would pave the way for a full-glass iPhone coming next year.