Wednesday, August 31, 2016

256GB and Lightning EarPods paperwork for iPhone 7 leaked


An interesting image is making the rounds today: a photograph of a purported packaging insert for Apple’s upcoming new phone. If the photo is to be believed, Apple will indeed be calling its larger new phone the ‘iPhone 7 Plus’, with the ‘iPhone 7’ name being taken by the 4.7 inch sibling.

It also indicates that Apple will be bundling Lightning EarPods in the box with every iPhone 7, as a consequence of the missing 3.5mm headphone jack. More interestingly, the leak suggests Apple will also be including a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack adaptor as a bundled accessory.

Full photo of the pamphlet after the jump.

Many were expecting Apple to make an adapter to allow customers to use existing earbuds and headphones with the new iPhone (which will not include an analogue 3.5mm jack in the hardware) but Apple’s usual trend is to sell these adaptors as separate purchases.

Taking this leaked packaging as legitimate, iPhone 7 owners will be able to connect their existing 3.5mm headphones without spending any additional money as the necessary adapter will be included in the same box as the phone itself. A pleasant change for a company with a reputation for selling pricey dongles and adaptors as extras.

Other tidbits include the way the EarPods are described: ‘EarPods with Lightning Connector’. This suggests that the headphones themselves will be identical aside from a change of ports. Apple has trademarked the ‘AirPods’ name for wireless headphones but these will be additional accessories (pricing unknown) and not bundled. The pamphlet also shows the 256 GB storage designation mirroring previous rumors.

The pamphlet includes the usual legal terms you would expect to see on an Apple product sheet and appears quite convincing. Unfortunately, it is quite easy to fake an image like this so it’s hard to say for sure if this is real. Packaging leaks have often turned up correct in the past with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor branding leaking out ahead of Apple’s official unveiling of the iPhone 5s in 2013.

We’ll know for sure next week, as Apple has announced a media press event for Wednesday, September 7. The company is expected to unveil its new iPhone 7 flagship lineup as well as the Apple Watch 2. New Macs are in the works but most sources are downplaying any appearance of Mac hardware at next week’s presentation.

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