The next iPhone (News - Alert) will be plastic. The next iPhone will be gold. The next iPhone will be called iPhone 5S. The next iPhone has a lot of rumors circulating about it, as it always does, but what are the most realistic? What will we actually see on the – also rumored – Sept. 10 launch date?
Companies of all sizes and industries are seeing big productivity gains after implementing bring your own device (BYOD) programs. In fact, Gartner (News - Alert) believes 38 percent of companies will stop providing company owned mobile devices to employees by 2016, and predicts that half of employers will require employees to bring their own devices by 2017. Among the most popular devices in these BYOD programs are iOS devices – the iPhone and iPad continue to make their way into workplaces to help employees embrace mobility.
So as users wait for September to see if the next iPhone will be their next smartphone, here’s a compilation of what they can expect to see and potentially use in a BYOD environment. (Note: Apple (News - Alert) has not commented on any reports, so these are purely speculation.)
Image via International Business Times
iPhone Rumors
Apple is preparing to release the successor to its iPhone 5 – or should I say successors? The company is rumored to announce two iPhones this year – the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, a cheaper, plastic version. (The C doesn’t stand for “cheap” – it is reported to come in various colors, including green, pink, white, blue and yellow.)
Unfortunately for those looking for a little change in the appearance of the iPhone, the design isn’t set to be much different than the 5. The Siri of this upcoming phone will reportedly be a fingerprint sensor, which will either be housed in the Home button or in a dedicated area of the front screen and, on first thought, will be used for authentication. With the rise of hackers, outages and cyber attacks, security is a top concern when it comes to our technology, especially tech like our smartphones that are used daily and hold much personal information. Moving from password locks to fingerprint scanners is a next step in authorization for our iPhones.
However, even though the fingerprint scanner seems like it is in place to ensure security, reports have raised concerns that it could backfire and actually have the opposite effect. What would Apple do with a database of user fingerprints? How would they protect that?
The next iPhone’s camera is supposed to improve with dual LED flash, which will help offset discoloration in photos and improve photos in low-light environments. As a big fan of photography, I am really excited for this, especially as I watch advertisements for Nokia’s 41-megapixel camera on its phone and Samsung’s (News - Alert) Galaxy S4 zoom and low-light capabilities.
I love that many have dubbed the upcoming phone “Goldfinger” – the next iPhone is rumored to come with a gold model option that will actually look more like champagne.
A new iPhone also means a new operating system, as iOS 7 rumors are just as popular as the ones for the device. Expect to see flatter, cleaner design and a Control Center, which you can get to from swiping up from the bottom of the phone for easy-access controls. The iPhone will also come with its own built-in flashlight.
The features I definitely want to see: an improved battery, camera (no more raccoon/alien eyes from the flash, please!) and a cleaner, feature-rich OS. All of which are *hopefully* in our near future.
What does this mean for BYOD?
For starters, if the fingerprint sensor turns out to be true and has some security plan behind it, this can be a big boost for BYOD. It significantly improves the level of security on a device – while there are still some risks, it’s a lot more secure than hackable numerical passcodes. Of course, employees will need training in best practices for this new technology, but since IT managers and employers look at security as a top concern when it comes to BYOD, this might persuade them and be a big push in more companies adopting programs.
Improved battery life and memory speed will help improve worker productivity on the go, as we’ve come to demand more, faster and better, especially when it comes to our technology.
Many mobile device management and mobile application management companies have been working on iOS 7 support ever since Apple launched a public beta in June 2013, so it’s expected most of them will be ready with support announcements when it launches.
We’ll be able to confirm all of these details once Apple officially introduces the next iPhone. Stay tuned!
Edited by Rory J. Thompson