The presumed release event for the iPhone 7 is now officially on the books for September 7, right after Labor Day, as is customary for Apple's annual release schedule. As Recode reports, in addition to the iPhone release, Apple is expected to possibly announce updates to the Apple Watch line, and they note via the image on the invitation that it's likely a subtle hint that the phone's new camera will be a primary focus of the event.
We learned earlier, via leaks, that at least one of the iPhone 7 models, possibly the Plus, will come with a dual-lens camera capable of taking higher resolution photos than ever before. (Recode says that the camera will also, apparently, "allow for different focusing tricks such as the blurry background Apple has in its invite.") Also expected on the new phone is the disappearance of the headphone jack, so that headphones will now plug into the same lightning port as the power cable.
News of the event comes just as Reuters is reporting on a class action suit filed Saturday against Apple over the widespread touchscreen failure on iPhone 6 models that we first reported on last week. The suit alleges, much as non-Apple repair experts have noted, that the company is at fault for not using "a metal 'shield' or 'underfill' to protect the relevant parts [within the phone], as it did on versions of the iPhone 5."
The problem, which may stem from the phone being repeatedly dropped or bent, seems to be caused by soldered connections getting cracked leading to loss of communication with the chips governing the phone's touch sensor. The bug renders the phones unusable, and Apple refuses to offer fixes or replacements past warranty, though non-Apple repair people have been able to fix the issue.
The lawsuit, filed by named plaintiffs Todd Cleary of California, Jun Bai of Delaware, and Thomas Davidson of Pennsylvania, seeks unspecified damages and accuses the company of fraud, as well as violating California's consumer protection laws.
As we noted here earlier, it is somewhat predictable, though, that such a flaw in the phone should manifest itself almost exactly two years after the phones' release, just in time for a new model.
Previously: Many iPhone 6 Owners Complaining Of 'Touch Disease' Rendering Touchscreens Unusable
YouTube Guy Gets Leaked iPhone 7 Mockup, Confirms No Headphone Jack