The moulds were posted to Twitter by a well known leaker. Photo / Supplied
The moulds were posted to Twitter by a well known leaker. Photo / Supplied
New details have emerged about the upcoming Apple iPhone models expected to go on sale later this year, including what appears to be a confirmed design change.
Apple has reportedly filed registrations for nine different models in the iPhone range as well as a new computer with the Eurasian Economic Commission.
The filings were first spotted by gadget researchers and comparison site MySmartPrice, news.com.au reports.
Apple and other tech companies have to file details of their new products for approval by regulators for a variety of reasons, including their use of airwaves to send information, and in some places if they use encryption methods to secure data.
For commercial reasons the public versions of these filings are often scant on information, but the ones Apple recently filed state they are for "smartphones of the Apple brand".
The moulds were posted to Twitter by a well known leaker. Photo / Twitter/JinStore
The next range of iPhone models is expected to feature a number of models spread across the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max names.
Documents for a new Apple computer were also found on the database, believed to relate to an ARM-based Mac laptop the company is rumoured to announce at an upcoming developer's conference.
The Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) is typically held in June and brings thousands of people to California to hear from Apple about its upcoming products.
This year WWDC will be held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Products are not the main focus of WWDC but Apple often announces one or two new products there, and this year it's expected to be the shift to ARM-based processors like the ones used in iPhones and iPads to be added to Mac computers.
It would make sense for Apple to make this announcement at WWDC because developers will need time to adapt and optimise their apps to run on the different hardware.
It comes after Taiwan-based tech industry publication DigiTimes reported Apple would finish the engineering and testing stages of the next phones by the end of the month.
Elsewhere, moulds used by manufacturers to make the protective cases many people house their phones in have been leaked, and appear to confirm a rumoured design change.
A return to the squared-off edges introduced in the iPhone 4 and last seen in the iPhone 5s looks set to return in the iPhone 12 models.
The squared-off design has previously been adapted to iPad Pro models in recent years as well.
The next models are expected to feature faster 5G connectivity and OLED screens across the range, rather than just in the Pro models.
A distinct change in design for the iPhones would complement the inclusion of these newer technologies.
Moulds are often based on leaked schematics and other supply-chain sources so that casemakers have a product ready to go when the new phones go on sale.
While iPhones normally go on sale in September, the coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted much of the world in 2020 hasn't made an exception for the technology industry.
The next iPhones are expected to be delayed but by how long remains to be seen.
