September in the tech circles is known to be ‘Apple Month’ as they hold their iPhone event during this month, which understandably attracts a lot of attention. This year, the event is set to take place on September 7. As usual, the fans and critics eagerly await the announcements coming their way from the Steve Jobs Theatre.
There are a lot of rumours doing rounds on the internet. Some from credible sources, and some from not-so-reliable ones. And, given that the event is not just about iPhone and has announcements like that of the Apple Watch and AirPods happening, there’s a lot of buzz, and whatever information you can, you want. So, we went digging and found out some things that you’d want to know before Tim Cook and Co. take to the stage in September.
Apple’s September event is mostly centred around the launch of its latest and ‘best ever’ iPhones. Well, if the news doing rounds in tech circles is anything to go by, then there are a lot of changes expected in the lineup.
After treating the fans with two years of small phones, the iPhone 12 and 13 Minis, Apple is expected to ditch the Mini phone in its iPhone 14 line of phones that will be announced during its September Event. The phones in the lineup would include a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, with the larger 6.7-inch iPhone replacing the smallest outgoing iPhone. These predictions are based on the cases, screen protectors, and 1:1 scale metal models of the devices that are floating around in the circles.
Now, coming to the design of the devices, the body is expected to thematically remain unchanged. There are changes expected on the display side of things, where the notch would be replaced by hole-punch and pill-shaped cutouts. This will be carried in the Pro models, and the non-pro models will stick with the notch. New FaceID hardware is also expected to be included in the Pro phones.
Talking about the changes in the Pro phones, they are also expected to have an e-Sim-only design. This could mean a few things. First, the phones will have better water protection. And the other thing is that we might see a port-less iPhone soon. Especially considering the recently passed EU legislation that would require smartphone manufacturers to only have a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. If the JP Morgan Chase’s annual investors report is to be believed, then the phones on the higher end of the line-up could very well sport a titanium alloy chassis.
In terms of the hardware, it also looks like the non-Pro models will be missing out big time. Apple is expected to ship its latest A16 processor only in the Pro models. The other non-Pro phones are expected to sport the older A15 Bionic chip from last year. However, a pan line-up hardware upgrade would be the SD X65 modem to facilitate better connectivity. It is also expected that Apple, to ensure better performance of their latest devices, would make several changes to the internal layout of the phones.
With all these subtle changes to the non-Pro phones that Apple is planning to bring in, it will be interesting to see the percentage of Apple users who generally tend to upgrade their phones after every launch, decide to spend that extra money and go for the upgrade. As for the Pro models, it looks like the new additions in the form of the reshaped camera and FaceID cutout, powered by the A16 chip, will be reasons enough for people to shell out excess of a thousand dollars to get their hands on a new phone when it comes out.
If you thought that the iPhones were full of major changes and announcements that came as a surprise, well, with the Series 8 Apple Watches, you are in for an even better and bigger treat. With its Watch Series 8, Apple will look to ensure that its grip on the smartwatch market, especially in the sections where people are a part of the ‘ecosystem’, gets better. And, from the looks of what is expected to be of the new Apple Watch Series 8, things look to be on the right path.
First off, the Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to sport much larger displays than the last-gen Series 7 watches. Apple has been putting its foot down to increase the display size and reduce the bezels with every iteration of the watch, and it looks like they will be taking that even further with this edition. Talking about the aesthetics, Apple is also expected to introduce a ‘rugged’ watch, targeting the market segment which at the moment flocks towards offerings from companies like Garmin to get a sort of weather and damage-resistant watch.
Coming to the features, the upcoming watch is also expected to feature a temperature sensor. The way this sensor is expected to work is that instead of giving direct temperature readings to people, the watch will alert them if they have relatively high body temperature or are running a fever. Apple is touting this new sensor to have “high-precision and high accuracy.” So far, the health monitoring system in Apple watches includes an SPO2 measuring sensor and other sensors that enable users to get readings of their Heart Rate and ECG. The heart rate sensor on the Apple Watch, which has been a regular feature on the watches for some time now, is also expected to get better with the upcoming Series 8.
All the data from these sensors would be processed by the dual-core S8 SiP processor that the Apple Watch Series 8 is likely to sport.
In 2019, Apple launched its marquee in-ear AirPods, the AirPods Pro. Since then, AirPods Pro has become the in-ear true wireless earphones for people inside and outside the Apple ecosystem. The AirPods Pro has been the benchmark to meet for any TWS earbuds in that price bracket. They offer a great listening experience with their ANC and excellent sound signature, all bundled up in a package that is yet to be rivalled by any.
It seems that during its September Event, Apple will make further improvements in its AirPods Pro and launch the second generation of the TWS earbuds. The new and improved upcoming AirPods are expected to have a new and improved H2 chip and longer battery life. Additionally, they are expected to have upgraded motion sensors that would enable fitness tracking using the earbuds. So, from the looks of things, if you are a fitness enthusiast in the Apple ecosystem, and plan on using the AirPods Pro 2 in tandem with the Apple Watch Series 8, you are in for a treat.
(Source: MacRumors)
There are some surprise releases at most Apple events. Well, this time, the product that comes closest is the Mixed AR and Mixed Reality headset from Apple. However, despite all the rumours and Reddit leaks suggesting that Apple would definitely drop the Mixed AR and Mixed Reality headsets, it looks highly unlikely. This is because Apple generally has a way to make the announcements that it makes at an event complement each other’s functionality. And, from the looks of things and the lack of any concrete information, it looks unlikely.
Whatever comes the way of the fans, the lines in front of Apple stores don’t look like they will get any shorter. And, if Apple can deliver on the expectations of the fans, it would be great!