GETTY Ahead of the iPhone 8 release date, Apple CEO Tim Cook has teased ‘exciting things'

iPhone 8 looks set to be the most exciting Apple smartphone in a long time. Apple is expected to pull-out all the stops for the next generation phone, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone when it purportedly launches in September 2017. The Apple iPhone 8, which some sources believe will be marketed as the iPhone X, is rumoured to ship with a dual-curved OLED display, all-glass design, improved dual-camera set-up, and no physical Home Button – a first for the device. Apple CEO Tim Cook is clearly in no rush to extinguish the growing hype around the forthcoming 10th anniversary iPhone. During the company’s quarterly earnings call this week, Mr Cook fuelled speculation about Apple’s product roadmap for the next year. “I think the smartphone is still in the early innings of the game,” the 56-year-old Apple CEO told investors during the earnings call. “I think there’s lots more to do. Every year, I think it becomes more important to people’s lives, there’s more things people are doing with it.”

Apple iPhone 8 - Leaked photos, prototypes, concept images, and renders Sun, January 1, 2017 iPhone 8 is shaping up to be one of the most impressive Apple smartphones to date, with glass panels on the front and rear of the device, a curved borderless OLED display and no Home Button Play slideshow INSTAGRAM • APPLEDESIGNER 1 of 54 Apple iPhone 8 will debut a brand-new all-glass look, with a curved OLED display

CEO Tim Cook also highlighted home automation, offering a rare glimpse into his private life to demonstrate the potential of the feature. “Now, when I say ‘Good Morning’ to Siri, my house lights come on and my coffee starts brewing. When I go to the living room to relax in the evening, I use Siri to adjust the lighting and turn on the fireplace,” he revealed.

We’ve got exciting things in the pipeline and I feel really good about it Tim Cook, Apple CEO

“And when I leave the house, a simple tap of my iPhone turns the lights off, adjusts the thermostat down, and locks the doors. “When I return to my house in the evening as I’m near my home, the house prepares itself for my arrival automatically by using a simple geofence.” When pushed on what the next iPhone could offer customers – besides a simple form-factor refresh – the Apple CEO reiterated the draw of this feature, amongst a number of other features, like CarPlay. Mr Cook said, “I talked about home automation, but I could have talked about Health or CarPlay. Enterprise use is growing. When I look at all of these things, we’ve got exciting things in the pipeline and I feel really good about it.”

GETTY Apple CEO Tim Cook was in no rush to extinguish the growing hype around the iPhone 8

Mr Cook is clearly keen to emphasis the power of Siri, following the slew of reports that Apple’s closet rival, Samsung, is set to unveil its own virtual assistant ahead of the launch of its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8. According to the latest reports, the Samsung smart assistant, dubbed Bixby, will boast a number of AI features currently unavailable on rival Siri, including the ability to identify real-world objects with the phone’s camera. Once it has identified whatever you’re pointing at, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be able to direct you to online retailers where you can buy the item.

Samsung Galaxy S8 - Leaked photos, concept images, and renders Sun, January 1, 2017 Samsung Galaxy S8 looks set to be the smartphone to beat this year. Following a swathe of rumours from the Chinese supply chain, a number of graphic designers have cooked-up high-resolution renders of what the smartphone could look like, when it launches in the UK in April 2017 Play slideshow SLASHLEAKS • DIMITRI12 • INSTAGRAM 1 of 42 Samsung Galaxy S8 will get a dramatic new design, with no buttons, and an edge-t

However, Apple is believed to be working on a number of improvements to its own assistant, which will likely launch later this year. However it’s unclear whether this next-generation Siri will be included in iOS 11, or as an exclusive feature for the upcoming iPhone, like the always-listening capability that debuted with the iPhone 6S back in 2015. Aside from the redesigned iPhone 8 hardware, and iOS software features, Apple is also rumoured to be hard at work on a refresh to its tablet range. The Cupertino-based firm is believed to have new iPads in the pipeline, which will share a number of design cues with the iPhone 8. According to a report from reliable Japanese site Makotakara, the new iPad will squeeze a larger 10.9-inch high-resolution display into a tablet with the same footprint as the current-generation 9.7inch iPad. To make room for the bumper display, Apple is expected to shrink the bezels around the screen.

APPLE The new iPad Pro models will be almost completely glass display, with tiny bezels

According to sources, Apple also hopes to remove the Home Button, leaving only a thick bezel at the top of the display for the in-built FaceTime camera. Further leaks and unearthed patents have revealed that Apple is also planning a second-generation Apple Pencil, which will use magnets to attach the pressure-sensitive stylus to the tablet when you travel. Obviously, Tim Cook did not confirm any of these details during his Q&A at the quarterly earnings call, however, he did mention plans for future iPads. Mr Cook reassured investors that he is still “very bullish on iPad” despite a slump in sales recorded during the latest quarterly results. “We’ve got some exciting things coming on iPad,” he teased, adding “I still feel very optimistic about where we can take the product.”