iPhone 7 News, Rumors, Release Date and Updates: Apple to Switch to 3-Year Cycle Upgrade?

Latest updates from Apple rumor land suggest that major iPhone upgrades including add-on tweaks and new features will happen every three years from this point forward. Currently, the Cupertino-based tech giant is usually refreshing its smartphone lineup every two years. The consequence of this existing product cycle is that the model churned out in the off year usually does not garner a spectacular impression.

According to a report by Japanese Nikkei newspaper, Apple is likely to shift its marketing strategy from product refreshes every other year to a three-year upgrade cycle for a number of reasons. Firstly, global demand for smartphone is gradually dropping. As revealed in the company's Q1 sales brief, Apple experienced its first-ever decline in iPhone sales, a bad omen for what's to come. Secondly, tech consumers are now getting restive than ever over the company's lack of 'the-next-big-thing' moments which characterized much of the Steve Jobs-dominated gadget era.

CNET also pointed out that Apple is not the only one grappling with slowing demand in the smartphone market where blockbuster debuts have finally run out of steam with an increasingly growing 'phone fatigue.' Without the exciting features that new arrivals offer, tech consumers of high-end devices in the more developed markets will likely choose to hang on to their current phones until the next big thing comes out.

Meanwhile, here is a summary of the purported upgrades and new features the iPhone 7 will have according to MacWorld's prediction:

1. Apple's iPhone 7 will come out with two variants sometime in September 2016: a 4.7-inch phone (iPhone 7), and a 5.5-inch model (iPhone 7 Plus).

2. A major physical revamp of its design will make it cut it off near identical features common to previous iPhone generations. The tweaks might include a replacement of headphone jack with wireless Bluetooth headphones or those could connect through the Lightning port, or an adaptor. Other changes include the removal of antenna bars and a flush camera add-on.

3. A slightly higher battery life than its predecessors.

4. Apple may slightly increase HD screen resolution with higher pixel density already found in iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus (401 pixels per inch which is higher than the average standard of 326ppi for non-Apple handsets).

5. Base storage offering will likely start at 32GB with 64GB and 128GB editions. A report from 9 to 5 Mac suggests a possible 256GB option.

6. The iPhone 7 may get a USB-C port although there are indications that this could be unlikely giving the recent switch from 30-pin to Lightning.

7. As for less reliable rumors, some reports indicate a curved display, flexible display, edge-to-edge screen, spring-out gaming joystick, wireless charging, and waterproof design to counter Samsung S7's IP68 certification.

While consumers easily get hyped over the purported upgrades making rounds online, people should realize that Apple has been extremely secretive over its iPhone plans. So, take everything with a grain of salt until an official word comes from the horse's mouth.