Apple is expected to release the iPhone 7 in San Francisco on September 7. The Apple rumor mill has pondered whether the coming release of iPhone 7 could prove to be a boon for one well-known purveyor of chronic: Dr Dre and his headphone empire Beats, which was purchased by Apple for $3 billion in 2014 as part of the largest acquisition in Apple history.
Certain Apple experts foresee Apple replacing its standard earphones with ones that plug into the company’s proprietary lightning port, which doubles as a charger. Or, if Apple were to forgo the cord, the entire smartphone industry could move towards Bluetooth earphones.
Either way, Beats, founded by Dr Dre and infamous label executive Jimmy Iovine and headquartered in Los Angeles, is well-positioned to work with Apple on future audio smartphone technology and thus reap the benefits of its close relationship to the biggest technology company in the world.
“There are companies now making wireless in-ear earbuds that have biometric sensors in them, so it could lead to a big leap in functionality,” Dan Ward, co-founder of mobile app development firm Detroit Labs, told LA Times. “Apple has focused a lot on health and wellness, so it might open up an entirely new product opportunity.”
The absence of a jack could mean smaller phones in the future, as well. Many customers, to be sure, have likely paid for premium products from third-party companies like Bose and Sennheiser. Customer-acquisition firm Fluent conducted a late August survey of 1,735 adults. 64% said the absence of a headphone jack would be a drawback for them due to owning non-Apple products. Others expect the iPhone 7 will resemble the iPhone 6 closely.
Overall, It’s been a rollercoaster week for Apple. Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed outrage over the European Commission ruling that Apple should pay billions of euros in back taxes to the Republic of Ireland. He called the decision “maddening” and “political.”
The European Commission accused Apple of receiving €13bn preferential tax breaks in Ireland, which Cook denies. Mr Cook remains “very confident” the ruling would be overturned after the company appealed.
"It's maddening, it's disappointing, it's clear that this comes from a political place, it has no basis in fact or in law, and unfortunately it's one of those things we have to work through,” Mr Cook told RTE. "When you're accused of doing something that is so foreign to your values, it brings out an outrage in you, and that's how we feel. Apple has always been about doing the right thing.”
He added: “We haven't done anything wrong, and the Irish government hasn't done anything wrong."
Rumors also supposed the iPhone 7 release might not happen at all. The news was first reported by the Japanese site Mac Otakara. According to the Apple website, MacRumors, Apple is uncertain it will be able to obtain as many of the new dual lens camera for the Plus model it would need. MERRY JANE considers these unsubstantiated rumors.
The anticipation around the iPhone is understandable, as the Cupertino, California based company's flagship product regularly smashes its own previous sales record. Apple sales, however, have slumped this year for the first time in 13 years.
