The fall is here and that means two things, colder weather is on the way and Apple is preparing to release new products.
This year, speculation indicates Apple’s new iPhone, rumoured to be called the iPhone 7, is poised to be a safe, incremental upgrade for the company. We also could be in for a new Apple Watch and possibly a long-overdue MacBook Pro and MacBook Air revamp, though recent rumours indicate the Cupertino-based tech giant likely plans to hold a separate Mac-focused event at a later date.
Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s upcoming “See You” September 7th Keynote set to take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco at 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. ET.
Say goodbye to the headphone jack
The most significant shift with the new iPhone is reportedly the removal of the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, in both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, in order to make the phone thinner, similar to Motorola’s move with the Moto Z. In the headphone port’s place, it’s unclear if the phone will feature Lightning headphones or some sort of lightning-to-3.5mm headphone adapter. It’s also possible the phone could include wireless Bluetooth headphones.
Overall, speculation indicates the phones will look very similar to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, adopting a nearly identical form factor with cleaner antenna lines and possibly new colours, with dark black and blue variant rumours currently swirling across the internet.
On the camera side of things, the iPhone 7 is expected to get a larger shooter that features dual cameras, resulting in improved low-light performance, similar to the Huawei P9 (which actually didn’t get released in Canada). Furthermore, it looks like the home button is going contextual with new Force Touch-like haptic feedback and that the smartphone will come equipped with a new A10 processor.
The iPhone’s base line of storage is reportedly starting at 32GB, up from the standard 16GB, a move iPhone owners have been requesting for years. It’s also possible we could see higher-resolution displays in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, though I’m skeptical of that particular rumour.
The iPhone 7’s release date is expected to be on September 23rd.
Get ready for an Apple Watch refresh
With watchOS 3 looming on the horizon, it’s possible we’ll finally see the smartwatches first full revamp. With cellular data functionality probably no longer coming, it’s likely the Apple Watch 2, as it’s expected to be called, will finesse some of the issues users experienced with the original wearable.
Battery life will reportedly be improved, independent GPS functionality is on the way and even a barometer for altitude tracking could hit the new smartwatch. Other upgrades include a faster processor and stronger water resistance.
It looks like the new Apple Watch will arrive in September and that eager Apple fans won’t have to experience the six-week gap between the March 2015 Apple Watch’s reveal and its actual launch day.
Macs, iPads and iOS 10
iOS 10 is on the way and it’s likely that we’ll get the operating system’s final public release date during Apple’s keynote. It’s also possible watchOS 3 and macOS Sierra will get launch dates as well.
It’s well-known Apple’s superb but rapidly aging MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are long overdue for an update and while it looked like we’d catch our first glimpse of the new laptops at Apple’s September 7th keynote, that probably isn’t the case now.
According to a recent Bloomberg report from the almost always correct Mark Gurman, Apple’s new laptops will likely be shown off at a later event. The new devices will, however, reportedly feature an OLED control strip and USB-C functionality.
We also could see a revamped 12.9-inch iPad Pro at the keynote, though details regarding what will be upgraded in the device are scarce right now.
[source]Bloomberg[/source]
