Should we trust the rumor about the iPhone 14, when the iPhone 13 has not yet been unveiled?
The iPhone 13 has not yet been released as some rumors are starting to emerge regarding the iPhone 14… and not the least. This is important, both to have a vision of the evolution of Apple smartphones in the medium term, but also to notice how the universe of rumors, in tech, must be navigated with the greatest caution. .
Everything started, on September 8, 2021, of images published by Jon Prosser, a man specializing in leaks information more or less verified in the tech. We see images (redesigned and unofficial) of an iPhone 14, scheduled for 2022, which supposedly has no notch.
What is that notch on the iPhone?
Since the iPhone X (2017), Apple has integrated a notch on the top of the screen of its smartphones: it is a black bar about 5mm high, quite imposing, which does not take the entire width. – giving it its very recognizable look.
This area still takes up a lot of space – after having imitated it, other Apple competitors have then preferred to turn to other alternatives, such as a “hole in the screen”, or even by completely eliminating the camera under the screen. Tim Cook’s multinational justifies this large notch by what it hides: several orifices and sensors that each have their uses.
These are the speakers, the camera on the front, but also all the Face ID hardware (which allows the phone to recognize your face and perform actions such as unlocking the phone or identifying itself on a site), including an infrared camera, an infrared illuminator (a kind of flash) and a “spot projector” that allows you to map your face as precisely as possible. This set of sensors is called TrueDepth.
Will the iPhone notch go away?
While Apple is supposed to present its iPhone 13 on September 14, it is the iPhone 14 that is on everyone’s lips. All this, because of Jon Prosser, a YouTuber specializing in rumors, who published a video on September 8 in which he broadcasts images supposed to show that Apple would get rid of the famous notch on the screens of its next (next). smartphones.
The videographer asked Ian zelbo, a designer, to create images from information that a source has given him. It should therefore be emphasized that the images we see today are not photos of real iPhone 14, but illustrations of what they could be.
Two very important characteristics stand out:
- The absence of the famous notch, which would supposedly be replaced by a hole;
- The absence of the square area on the back of the device which surrounds the sensors and cameras, and which has been in relief for several years compared to the rest of the back of the smartphone. Rumors have it that the iPhone 14 could be thicker to absorb that little bump.
Can we trust this rumor?
This is the whole problem with rumors in the tech world, and in particular those echoed by certain influencers, who are never safe from making mistakes.
On the one hand, the iPhone 14 is very far from being in our hands: if we follow the cycle of presentation of Apple’s products, it would not be “shown” for the first time until September 2022. This allows time for a product to evolve, and therefore requires us to take with a lot of tweezers all the rumors that may circulate around the product.
On the other hand, the very principle of the profession of influencers specializing in rumors and leaks is to take the risk of making mistakes. In fact, Jon Prosser regularly deceived – not necessarily of its own accord, but it happens that sources make a mistake, or even share truthful information at a moment “t”, then the company decides to change strategy or project.
Finally, in the world of leaks smartphone, and in particular for giants like Apple, it often happens that the right question to ask is not “is the rumor true?” “But” when will it be? “. The example of the notch speaks for itself: Apple has been dragging its notch many of which criticize the design, and it’s obvious the company would dream of a screen without any branding on the front. It is therefore certain that it is working on alternatives to transform this area and make it more elegant – this has been the subject of press articles for several months already, especially after a meeting between Apple and its investors, which hinted that the firm might be working on a way to integrate its front camera under the screen.
As noted by tech journalist Nicolas Lellouche, it can happen that leaks supposed to relate to a smartphone model only materialize in the next version.
I fall back on this so-called iPhone 12 leak from last year which shows exactly what the rumors predict for the iPhone 13. Apple is used to working several years in advance for its smartphones, I wonder if this leak was not genuine. https://t.co/GKL3m0InG3
– Nicolas Lellouche (@LelloucheNico) September 7, 2021
Apple and its “notch”, a story that lasts
Apple is clearly not “proud” of its notch. As early as 2017, it was noticed that advertisements for the iPhone X managed to hide the famous notch in a shadow, so as not to spoil the impression of having a screen without any protuberance – moreover, the company was sued for misuse of the term “All Screen”.
A funny anecdote, noted by our colleagues from Frandroid, shows how much the firm would like to erase this small shadow on the board: at the end of August 2021, a user noticed that in the series Ted lasso, the characters were using an iPhone… without any notch. However, this program is an original Apple TV + production, which means that Apple is in charge (or, in any case, the financing), and has validated the decision to surreptitiously erase the notch of the phone.
Anyone else notice the notchless iPhone in the latest @TedLasso episode? # iphone12 # iphone12s # iphone13 @jon_prosser @frontpagetech @TailosiveTech @LukeMiani @reneritchie ? Why, @Apple ? pic.twitter.com/FL4tv2SfKz
– Paul Bailey ?, ?️ + (@paulofthebailey) August 28, 2021
