Besides a larger display and redesigned metal body, details regarding which features the next-generation iPhone models will pack have been light. However, it appears that the new models could include a new sensor: a barometer sensor.
A barometer is a sensor commonly used for measuring altitude and the sensor is already commonly found in Android devices such as the Galaxy Nexus. A barometer sensor could be used by hikers, mountain climbers, bike riders, and enthusiasts who want accurate knowledge into their current altitude. Barometers, via air pressure data, also measure temperature and weather information.
The information regarding the next-generation iPhone likely including this sensor comes via Xcode 6 and iOS 8, the latest iPhone software development kit and operating system. The software includes updated CoreMotion APIs that clearly reference the new altitude measuring capabilities:
There are several applications on the App Store, even highlighted for the iPad by Apple on its own website, that can track altitude. However, this reference in Xcode 6 and iOS 8 is a new framework that is dedicated to altitude tracking and requires new Apple hardware, according to developers.
Current altitude tracking applications use the iOS Device’s existing GPS and Motion chips to track altitude, but a barometer is more accurate and quicker to load data as it is a dedicated chip for tracking. As can be seen in a secondary reference, the framework first checks if the iOS device supports altitude tracking:
Developer Ortwin Gentz from
FutureTap pointed us to these references, and he tested the
framework on an iPhone 5s, the latest-generation of the iPhone. According to
Gentz, the framework returned a “No” to indicate that the iPhone 5s does not not
support the reporting of altitude changes based on this new framework. With the
help of a noted developer, we wrote our own code to test the framework and we
received the same not-supported-by-the-iPhone-5s result. This likely indicates
that this new altitude tracking functionality is reserved for unreleased Apple
devices. Since the feature is packed into iOS 8, it is likely that the feature
will be integrated to new products launching in the fall such as the iPhone 6,
new iPads, and even the iWatch.
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