iPhone 7 Rumor Rollup: 10th anniversary is when the iPhone fun will really start

Much of this past week in iPhone 7 rumorville was occupied with rehashing and debunking a lot of the most popular scuttlebutt (dual cameras, no more 3.5mm headphone jack, etc.) about Apple's next flagship smartphone, which is expected to debut in September. 

Plenty continues to be said as well about how boring the new iPhones promise to be (though Apple will need to try really hard to make it duller than its recent Worldwide Developers Conference bounty). Macworld's Macalope column rips into those who don't have faith in Apple to do the right thing, including a writer for The Verge who urges Apple shoppers to have "Have some dignity" over buying what Apple is reportedly selling this time around.

"If there is anything that more represents dignity than a headphone jack then the Macalope hasn't heard of it," The Macalope quips, referring to the outrage over Apple possibly ditching the traditional. 3.5mm headphone jack in iPhone 7.

MORE:14 fascinating facts about Apple's iPhone 

One point that has increasingly begun to get mentioned is that Apple is going to hold off on the really good stuff until next year, when the iPhone turns 10. 

"Next year marks the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone. There's no question Apple was going to save its big new launch for 2017, and according to rumors it's indeed going to be big," writes Yahoo Tech.

Cranking out iPhone 7s

While we might need to wait until next year for the really exciting new iPhone features (curved screen, etc.), rumor has it that Apple has already begun cranking up production of the iPhone 7. 

Super-leaker OnLeaks tweeted out that "Mass production of 4.7" #iphone7 has slowly started at Pegatron factory…" and various sites, such as Phones Review, ran with that. FoxConn is perhaps the better known Apple manufacturer of iPhones.

There's no turning back now, and leaked images of iPhone 7 could be coming faster and more furiously now. 

Touchy subject: iPhone 7 home button

New leaks surfacing on the Mobipicker website supposedly show the front of an iPhone 7 and point to the traditional home button being replaced by a touch-sensitive pad built right into the display.  

"Sources say the new 'button' will be flush with the body of the smartphone, instead of protruding from the bottom bezel, and users will have to perform tapping actions to activate specific functions," according to the UK Daily Mail.

Forbes contributor Gordon Kelly mentions that "learning new combinations could prove problematic," but that getting rid of a moving part should enhance the iPhone's durability.

And if Apple really is going to stretch out the time between when it releases major iPhone upgrades, customers might start weighing durability higher than style in the years ahead.

Source: iPhone 7 Rumor Rollup: 10th anniversary is when the iPhone fun will really start