iPhone 7 News, Release Date And Rumors: Will Apple's Sales Slump Continue This Year?

Last week may have been the most damaging for impending iPhone 7, if news coverage is any indication. Led by Nikkei Asian Review publication, a slew of reports claimed that this year's device won't do much good for Apple.

According to Forbes, the publication claimed weak demand for iPhone 7 and decline in Apple sales by 20 to 30 percent in the second half of this year. The publication had earlier claimed Apple would sell just about 200 million units this year, which is a year-on-year decline by 13 percent.

Though more than two surveys from reputed firms have projected an encouraging demand for iPhone 7, mainly from users waiting to upgrade their devices, recent reports are forecasting poor sales ridding on top of rumors that iPhone 7 will remain similar in most ways to its predecessors.

The two-year-old design that Apple adopted for iPhone 6 is expected to be featured in the iPhone 7 with the exception of dual-camera module. Other speculated changes will have to wait until 2017 when Apple reportedly plans to introduce OLED screens and other novel technologies that would boost demand for the iPhone. It is not known why Apple has decided to break away from established tick-tock cycle of device launches.

Recent rumors about iPhone 7 have cast doubt about the headphone jack; the jack's removal was meant to help the iPhone shed flab but reports suggest the iPhone 7 has similar dimensions to the iPhone 6S.

Thinner iPhones cannot be expected until next year, reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted. Thanks to novel materials engineering, next year's iPhone is expected to feature a 'glass-metal' construction, rendering phones stronger but thinner. The iPhone 7 release date is likely to be scheduled in September.