It has been a challenging year for Apple. With the company's flagship unit, the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus somewhat underperforming in revenue, the Cupertino-based tech giant has to make a big splash this year if it wants to maintain its lead over its rivals.
With its arch-nemesis, Samsung, already releasing its flagship device for the year, the formidable Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Apple will really need to dig deep in order to dominate the smartphone industry once more.
In a lot of ways, Apple has been playing it quite smart, following the trends of other smartphone makers and releasing multiple flagship units every year. Contrary to its tradition during the first few years of the iPhone, Apple released two flagship units during the past two years, with a unit for the compact and the phablet form factor.
This year, however, Apple might take the trend even further, as rumors have emerged that the American tech innovator is planning to release not just two, but four iPhone units this year. Considering that Apple is about to release the rumored 4-inch iPhone SE this March, and that it will probably release the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus later this year, much speculation has emerged about what the fourth iPhone would be.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities who has previously correctly predicted specifications of the MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro months before the units were launched, believes that apart from the iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus, Apple will also release an ultra-premium line, which could possibly be dubbed the iPhone 7 Pro.
Apple iPhones, maybe except for the unsuccessful iPhone 5C, are already known to be premium handsets; what could the iPhone 7 Pro have over the 7 and the 7 Plus? How much more premium could iPhones get?
Kuo stated that Apple's acquisition of Israeli camera technology company LinX last year is the answer. Prior to its acquisition, LinX had been developing innovative, compact camera lenses which, according to its supporters, offered near-DSLR quality. One of LinX's most notable innovations is its dual-lens technology, which drastically improves image quality.
Among the benefits of LinX's dual-lens technology include better low-light performance and light sensitivity. Apart from this, LinX's lenses are so thin, they would completely get rid of the iPhone's infamous camera bulge.
With competition from rival brands getting more intense, Apple knows that the imaging department is one aspect where it could definitely charm its customers. If the rumors are true, and its gambit ends up paying off, it would have no problem taking the lead once more in the world's extremely competitive smartphone market.
