For technology and gadget fans, an Apple event is like Christmas. Particularly when the rumours surrounding the event, happening this September 12th, suggest that the Apple equivalent of Santa Claus appears to have more than just iPhone presents to share with the good boys and girls across the globe.
In fact, you may find yourself adding more than one of these rumoured Apple products to your Holiday wish list.
Three new iPhones
It wouldn’t be an Apple event without some exciting iPhone news and as far as the rumours suggest, the idea that Apple may be releasing a more affordable 6.1-inch LCD iPhone is by far the most intriguing.
This phone, which has not been named yet, will feature some of the more nifty features of the iPhone X, such as its Face ID and bezel-less display, but at a lower price. True, the model will lack the fancier features of the X – including its stainless-steel frame being swapped for aluminum and an LCD screen rather than an OLED – however, there’s no denying the popularity of Apple’s ‘economy’ versions of their phones, that allows those who don’t want to spend a fortune on a gadget to still get a slice of the popular Apple pie.
Two more iPhones are set to be announced too, both next-generation models of the X. The first, likely to the named the iPhone XS, will be very similar to last year’s model with the same 5.8-inch screen with bezel-less technology, stainless-steel frame and OLED displays. The real changes to the XS will be improvements to the phone’s internal specifications. This is likely to include more RAM and an A12 processor.
As for new features, Apple has followed a pattern before of revealing a new, exclusive feature for its model updates. This has included 3D Touch, Siri and Touch ID in the past. It’s unclear as of yet whether Apple has something new up its sleeve, but fans of the previous gold versions of their iPhones will be happy to hear that they will very likely see the announcement of a gold XS.
There will also be a larger version of the XS announced, which unlike previous years, will not be named a plus. Instead, the 6.5-inch version will likely be named the iPhone XS Max and along with a bigger screen, will boast a bigger battery as well as the other premium features of the XS models.
The event will also be a sort of funeral too, though, with the era of fingerprint technology being laid waste as Face ID takes its place.
Apple Watch Series 4
Almost as popular as the iPhone these days, the Apple watch is set to have its first major redesign since its release in 2015 with leaked photos showing a very different model compared to previous models.
The Series 4 will have a much bigger screen, with what looks to be nearly edge-to-edge design. Yet, the bigger screen doesn’t mean a bulkier watch, as the design is also slimmer than previous models – although it still appears to be compatible with all bands.
The screen itself looks to hold more information than ever before – perhaps too much information than a watch really needs – but manages not to look overly crowded at least. You can also expect the Series 4 watch to come hand-in-hand with the watchOS 5 (announced at WWDC earlier in the year), which promises better notifications, automatic workout detection and a walkie-talkie feature.
AirPower & AirPods
Over on the accessories side of Apple, it is highly likely that an update – with a release date and pricing, hopefully – for the highly anticipated AirPower charging pad will happen. The pad, which can wirelessly charge up to three devices at one, was first announced at the same event last year, but with zero news or updates on the product since.
Expect an update for Apple’s wireless headphones too. Rumours surrounding the AirPods suggest that the new headphones will feature a wireless chip to allow hands-free Siri activation and wireless charging – to allow use with the AirPower pad.
Software
Don’t expect to hear anything too fancy on the software side of things. Since WWDC Apple has been working to fix bugs and problems with current software, so there’s only likely to be update announcements.
These should include release dates for watchOS 5, iOS 12 and tvOS. Since there have been rumours circling about a dedicated Mac event later this year, if we hear nothing for Mac then take this as exciting news, as it adds to that rumor. There may also be more news on the new Apple streaming service.
Expect the unexpected
As with any Apple event, there may be plenty of rumours flying across the web, but this is a company that loves to shock its fan, so be prepared for something totally unexcepted too! The event will be streamed live at 10 a.m. PDT.
