KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that iPhone 8's front-facing camera would take advantage of a new sensor for “revolutionary” features such as augmented reality applications, advanced facial recognition, 3D selfies, 3D object scanning/modeling and more. Tuesday, Barron's noted that Apple may have contracted a company called Himax Technologies to build the rumored sensor for Apple's OLED-based iPhone 8.
According to the latest research from Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O'Malley and Jerry Zhang, obtained by MacRumors, Apple may still launch iPhone 8 in September alongside the iterative iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus series, albeit in limited quantity. However, the majority of iPhone 8 stock may not be available until much later in the fourth quarter.
In other words, the company's Tenth Anniversary iPhone aka “iPhone Edition” may be hard to come by when it debuts in September (like Jet Black iPhone 7 models last year).
According to analyst Steven Milunovich and his team at UBS, augmented reality (AR) will likely be Apple's next major product innovation.
In a research note seen by Business Insider, Milunovich writes that the Cupertino firm may have well over a thousand engineers working on a project in Israel that could be related to augmented reality.
UBS expects Apple to implement augmented reality in iPhone 8, which could include “moderate 3D mapping using stereoscopic vision” based on a technology called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) as well as a software development kit for app makers to take advantage of the handset's rumored AR features.
Apple's first OLED-based iPhone will have three gigabytes of RAM like the current iPhone 7 Plus models and come in two storage capacities—64GB and 256GB—eliminating the current 32GB SKU as an entry-level option when it comes to storage size. It won't feature a curved display due to production and drop test issues with 3D glass, as per Chinese research firm TrendForce.
We heard before that Apple might integrate augmented reality features into iPhone 8’s Camera app and now KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has provided fresh details about a “revolutionary” front-facing camera system that will “bring an innovative user experience” to Apple's first OLED iPhone.
In a note to clients, obtained by AppleInsider, the analyst writes that a pair of infrared transmitting and receiving sensors on the FaceTime camera will help the next iPhone provide features ranging from 3D sensing and modeling to advanced biometric authentication combining facial scanning and Touch ID fingerprint recognition.
In another note issued to clients this morning, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says he expects a next-generation iPhone to hit mass production late in the third quarter of next year. The widely rumored premium OLED iPhone model should account for a little more than half of new model shipments, or about fifty to 55 percent.
A 4.7-inch variant of next year's iPhone is projected to account for 30 to 35 percent of orders while its 5.5-inch brethren is expected to account for ten to fifteen percent of iPhone shipments next year.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said many times over the past few months that Apple's Tenth Anniversary iPhone due next year will move from the current unibody aluminum industrial design to an all-glass front and back plate sandwiched between a stainless steel frame.
In a new note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, Kuo explains that the reason why so-called 'iPhone 8' will switch from metal to glass for its casing is to support advanced wireless charging technologies.
Apple should update both iPad Pros next year, with analysts from the banking and financial services company Barclays calling for a brand new model to be added to the lineup. Supply chain sources Barclays recently quizzed think the new iPad Pro model will have a screen measuring 10.9 inches.
And because that tablet is expected to adopt an all-new bezel-free design, its 10.9-inch screen could be fitted inside the current 9.7-inch package.
A report earlier this week alleged that one of Apple’s European resellers told a customer it would receive first AirPods stock on November 17 and start selling the earphones by November 18-19.
Contradicting the story, Barclays analysts heard chatter in the Asian supply chain that mass production of the delayed accessory is scheduled to kick off in December in time for Christmas, but in limited quantities, Yahoo Finance reported Friday.
After analyzing the latest chatter in Apple's supply chain following a trip to Asia this week, Barclays Research analysts predicted the Cupertino firm will offer a next-generation 'iPhone 8' in 2017 in two sizes, one with a screen measuring five inches and the other featuring a 5.8-inch display.
Because the handsets will utilize curved screens, they're expected to have a bezel-less design allowing them to increase display size while retaining the same overall size as the current 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones.
Apple's wireless headphones, likely to be called “AirPods”, will take advantage of an in-house designed Bluetooth chip and be marketed as a high-end alternative to the Beats brand, which itself will be positioned in the mid-range market, according to a note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In his report to clients, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, Kuo writes that Apple's custom-designed chip improves Bluetooth reliability, sound quality and battery performance for longer battery life versus an off-the-shelf chip.
KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo is probably the most reliable analyst out there when it comes to predicting Apple's unannounced gadgets and today he issued a new report to clients, a copy of which was obtained by 9to5Mac, to discuss some last minute details ahead of Apple's September 7 event.
In it, he shares many previously undisclosed iPhone 7 features, including a lot faster new chip, some new and updated sensors, significantly improved cameras with an upgraded LED flash system and more, plus specifics on waterproofing, new colors options, display technology and so forth.