The iPhone 8 is set to make a huge splash later this year, especially when this marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. Apple has to come up with something spectacular in order to wow the masses, and the weight of expectation might prove to be too much to bear if there are no fantastic leaps in technology but rather, a more muted level of improvements made to the handset. Let us see what are the latest news and rumors concerning the upcoming iPhone 8 that might just shape its destiny.

Bye bye, Lightning connector
The Lightning connector is not something that is archaic, like the 3.5mm audio port which was removed from the iPhone 7, but it does seem that there is every possibility that Apple might just do away with the Lightning connector in the iPhone 8. According to The Sun, Apple would like to ditch the Lightning connector and move on to, surprise, surprise, the USB 3.0 port. No doubt this move would make quite a number of people unhappy, especially those who spent good money migrating to the Lightning connector platform with their peripherals. However, doing so would mean Apple no longer has to rely on their own proprietary cable and settle for the far more popular and universal standard, USB 3.0. What do you think?

Hello, curved screen
There is just something about a curved screen on a smartphone that exudes a sense of sexiness that is unheard of. Thanks to Samsung with their Galaxy S6 edge that sparked off this trend, word on the street points to Apple using a 5.8-inch display on the iPhone 8 that sports a curved screen. Not only that, the physical Home button is also tipped to be done away with, since virtual buttons would occupy that space instead. This would mean Apple’s iPhone 8 would follow in the Samsung Galaxy S8’s footsteps.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared, “With a curved screen OLED, the iPhone display will almost certainly be bezel and border free to the outside edges, and fill all or almost all of the entire front view edge-to-edge, with rumours predicting that the home button, fingerprint sensor, ambient light and proximity sensors will be incorporated within the display.”

iPhone 8 to break $1,000 price ceiling
The iPhone 8 is not going to come cheap -- that is to be expected. Rumblings on the ground point to the iPhone 8 easily crossing the $1,000 mark, which is attributed to the new design and features in the latest iPhone. Bulk of the cost will no doubt be passed on to the consumer, and we might hear crazy stories once again of people actually selling their virginity or kidney just to get enough money to pick up the iPhone 8 when available.

iPhone 8 release date might not be good timing
While the iPhone 8 would no doubt be a technological marvel, this does not mean that it is good timing to roll out at the moment. After all, ditching the Lightning port would definitely irk many people, not to mention the ridiculous price tag that might just buy you an old jalopy to get around, it would also come so soon after the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was released. Not too many people would want to make the jump to the next generation iPhone so soon after purchasing their current iPhone 7, unless you have deep pockets or are a real Apple fanatic.

No doubt the iPhone 8 is going to be a huge success as it is slated for a Q3 2017 release, but will there be enough momentum after the initial frenzy? Only time will be able to tell.