iPhone 7 Release Date, Specs Rumors: Apple to Skip iPhone 6S, Add Force Touch in Upcoming Flagship Phone

Last week, there was news that Apple was planning to launch three new smartphones sometime in September 2015 when it normally announces its new devices. These would be the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus and a budget plastic-clad model, the iPhone 6C.

However, this week rumors pointed out that the company is skipping all "6S" versions and will instead bring out the iPhone 7.

The claim, made by Thai analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who works for KGI Securities, came as a surprise to many tech industry people.

Kuo based his claim on the fact that the company was planning to introduce a number of significant changes to the upcoming device and therefore wanted to skip a generation.

MacRumors stated that Kuo "has a respectable track record" of predicting how Apple releases its devices. Apple is also reportedly adding Force Touch to the upcoming device, a major improvement compared to the current flagship models the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. This reportedly prompted Apple to name the device iPhone 7.

Force Touch works by recognizing whether the user is tapping lightly on the screen of a device or pressing down harder. This technology has already been employed by Apple in its upcoming Apple Watch and is also available on the trackpad of the new MacBook which was released last month.

However, on the iPhone 7, the technology will be a little different and will not monitor the pressure applied by the finger pressing on the screen, Kuo said. Instead, it will check the contact point on the surface of the screen to calculate the amount of pressure being applied.

If Force Touch does debut on the upcoming iPhone 7 it would be a major improvement in that it will allow third-party app developers to change how users interact with their apps and include new features in them. Ultimately, it is expected that the improvements will drastically change how people interact with their iPhones.