It’s going to be all-glass iPhone next year, as Foxconn develops glass casing
It’s that time of the year next month when Apple unveils its new iPhone. While people are speculating the new iPhone to just be a minimal redesign of the current model, many others are however interested in the 2017 version which is on the rise.
Apparently, Apple is working on a brand new iPhone 2017 made entirely from glass, Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported. Since, 2017 will mark iPhone’s 10th anniversary in the market, Apple may want to celebrate it in style with a completely new iPhone launch.
The Nikkei report attributes the info to a source close to Foxconn – a major Apple parts supplier, which is apparently already working on the technology.
“Apple is expected to redesign the iPhone, including giving it a glass chassis, in 2017 to boost weakening demand and to see off stiff competition from rivals, including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and China’s Huawei Technology, whose phones use Android platforms.
“Determined to secure its position as a key iPhone assembler, Foxconn is developing its glass casing technology. Foxconn has been trying glass chassis since last year.”
Another source said, “It is only natural that Foxconn is trying to come up with glass chassis as the capabilities to provide more components will bolster its standing within the supply chain and help with more orders.”
Apple’s iPhones in 2017 would adopt glass casings with metal frames and advanced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, according to a report in Nikkei. The upcoming iPhone device will also sport a low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) panel.
The Nikkei report adds that Apple will not be producing a third variant of the smartphone this year. Initially, Apple had planned two versions of iPhone 7 Plus, one with a single lens and one with a dual lens. Facing fierce competition from its opponents, Apple decided to ditch the single lens iPhone 7 plus edition in the second quarter, just less than six months before its official launch in September.
“This never happened before. Before this year, Apple never made changes to iPhone’s product line mere months before the launch. It has been a volatile year for Apple,” a source said.
Apple’s premium models, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been struggling to attract customers across the globe since the start of 2016. Further, for the first time in 13 years, Apple’s sales dropped year-over-year in the January-March period, which continued in the following three months as well.
The quarter ending June saw the average selling price of iPhone fall hinting more demand for its lower-priced iPhone SE, while sales in greater China dropped by 33%.
Source: Nikkei
