iPhone 7 Plus Smart Connector gestrichen

The iPhone 7 Plus Smart Connector has been the one rumor that provides something in the way of small excitement for a device that only differs from the regular iPhone by way of its size, screen resolution, and optical image stabilization (OIS) tech — though OIS is coming to the regular iPhone 7, too. The iPhone 7 Plus Smart Connector would allow users to connect a keyboard cover or protective case of some sort (Apple could use it to add a battery case, or create something akin to MotoMods here?). We know so little about what this Smart Connector would do, but the three little dots on the back of the Plus model that have been leaked in photos before has gone the way of scrap metal — fit for nothing but the trash heap.

According to source PLAYfuldroid that brought us pictures of the three iPhone 7 models is now saying that, while those photos were legitimate, Apple has decided to scrap the idea because “it isn’t beneficial for the device. Of course, most of us would definitely agree that the smart connector has been a useful feature for the iPad Pro, but the iPhone 7 Pro definitely doesn’t require this feature since there is no need for us to connect the device to any smart keyboard.”

Well, on one front, PLAYfuldroid is right: the phablet doesn’t need a keyboard, and the iPhone 7 Plus Smart Connector isn’t a necessary item for the device to function. On the other hand, though, some may welcome it. Accessories are like 5-lane highways: people often choose the lane they’re familiar with, and not everyone favors the same one. So, with that said, the claim that Apple has scrapped the Smart Connector may be true, but that still doesn’t explain why Apple placed one on the back of the device in the first place. Did Apple not know when they started crafting the iPhone 7 Pro that the Smart Connector pins were on the back of it? If they did, then there was some reason why they implemented one on the back of the device in the first place, considering that no other iPhone to date has ever had Smart Connector pins on its back cover.

I think it boils down to the fact that Apple had some reason for the addition of the iPhone 7 Plus Smart Connector such as the idea of crafting a keyboard cover (something akin to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S7/S7 edge Keyboard Cover) and then decided against it at the last minute. That would make far better sense than to just explain away the Smart Connector dock because it isn’t a tablet and doesn’t hold as much significance. Apple has gone on to sell the iPad Pro without a keyboard (and it’s a tablet, not a smartphone), so the justification here doesn’t make much sense. That doesn’t negate the credibility of the source, though, but I think that other sources can and will ultimately tell us what Apple intended to do and why it didn’t proceed with the iPhone 7 Plus Smart Connector.

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