While this year's iPhone installment is only expected to offer small changes, reports have already surfaced that the 2017 upgrade will be a mammoth redesign, Digital Spy said.

Some have speculated the phone could feature waterproof technology, wireless charging and a curved interface (all things rival Samsung already offers), and now the rumor winds are whispering that it could offer an innovative Apple Watch feature.

Though introduced as a means of navigating the small screen of the wearable, Apple's Digital Crown could soon be coming to bigger devices, such as the iPhone and iPad. That's if a recently granted patent is anything to go by, in which a dial-like button is illustrated, Digital Spy said.

By allowing users to zoom in and out, change volume and navigate through text by tapping or rotating the Crown, this would seemingly tie in with previous leaks of an all-glass screen/removal of the home button.

The Cupertino company is expected to pull out all the stops for the device's 10th anniversary next year, so fans will no doubt be hoping the delayed wait for innovation will bring with it a Crown. As with all patents, though, the future is never certain, Digital Spy said.