iPhone 6 to Feature Barometer and Weather Sensors

Rumours surrounding Apple's latest smartphone have so far included solar powered screens, wireless charging and waterproofing. Now reports have emerged that suggest the iPhone 6 could include a barometer and air pressure sensors.

The latest leaks have come from Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac, who in the past has been the first to reveal details of Apple's latest mobile operating system iOS 8, including the company's HealthKit platform.

Hints of the new hardware have come via Xcode 6 and iOS 7, which includes new software capable of tracking altitude.

A barometer is traditionally used by meteorologists to measure short term changes in the weather.

The need for such a device on a smartphone may seem far fetched but in what is sure to be Apple's biggest device redesign to date, the inclusion of such a feature could fit with Apple's increased focus on health and fitness.

Gurman suggests that runners and cyclists could benefit from having instant weather forecasts for their local area

Surprisingly, the iPhone 6 would not be the first smartphone to include a barometer. In 2011, both Samsung and Motorola launched devices with integrated barometers, however industry experts claim that their only purpose was to improve GPS tracking and not monitor the weather.

"The primary purpose of the barometer is to make GPS lock-ons faster," Dan Morril, a software develop at Google, said about the Galaxy Nexus barometer. "The barometer gives you a reasonable first-cut estimation for altitude, which can help speed up lock-on in general."