iPhone Hardware

The iPhone 7 teardown from iFixit has arrived. This exercise reveals the inner workings of Apple's latest smartphone, as well as the engineering that went into waterproofing the iPhone design. Not only this, but the teardown answers one of the biggest questions: what did Apple replace the 3.5mm headphone jack with? Many assumed a secondary audio speaker would be placed behind the new grille, however this is not the case.

A new 4-inch iPhone is expected to be announced by Apple on March 21st. For those of you considering upgrading, here are some ideas for putting your current iPhone to good use.

The iPhone 5s represents several firsts for Apple and the smartphone industry in general. Not only does the device feature 64-bit architecture, but the latest iPhone integrates a fingerprint sensor and independent M7 motion coprocessor. With new technology there's always the potential for bugs to surface after the latest hardware gets into the hands of users everywhere.

Of course the iPhone 5s is no different, and while reviews have been overwhelmingly positive some users have reported problems. Complaints and issues can always be brought to Apple's attention either in iPhone support communities or at the retail store Genius Bar. Besides troubleshooting, keep in mind the iPhone 5s comes with a one-year AppleCare warranty. Usually devices can be repaired or replaced in-store.

Reports of a biometric sensor in the upcoming iPhone 5S have been floating around for some time. However, with the release of iOS 7 beta 4 to developers 9to5Mac has posted new evidence that the fingerprint scanner is real. The code reveals a folder named "BiometricKitUI.axbundle" featuring the building blocks to run a biometric sensor.

According to sources, Apple has completed work on the user interface for such a feature, which would presumably unlock the device. Instead of typing a passcode, all that would be needed for a home button fingerprint scan is to press the button. The leaked strings indicate that during the setup process, a fingerprint graphic would change color when registered.