It is thought that the tech giant will unveil the next generation iPhone 7 at an event in San Francisco the week beginning September 7.
The new smartphone, which may be known as the iPhone 6s or the iPhone 7, is expected to be introduced at an event for press and industry analysts. However this time around it appears that the event may be significantly larger than previous editions.
Huge venue booked for trade show early September
Previous Apple product launches have been held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francsico, a 755 capacity venue. Now a local San Francisco blog, known as Hoodline, has revealed that the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium has a booking from September 4-13.
The 7,000-capacity venue is situated in the middle of the Civic Center neighborhood, and sources claim that someone has booked it out for a “trade show.” The venue could have been booked by anyone, but several factors point to the involvement of Apple.
First is timing, which is right around the dates when Apple is planning its launch. Second, details about the event are thin on the ground, suggesting that Apple could be involved. Finally, those dates cover the U.S. Labor Day holiday, which is not a traditionally good time for a trade show to take place.
Mysterious booking adds to excitement around Apple launch
The writers at Hoodline were unable to discover who had booked the space. Their investigation does reveal that security guards have been seen patrolling the site, power generators placed outside and access to areas around the building is restricted.
Documents filed with the Planning Department show that four windows in the building will be removed during the trade show, to be replaced by giant fiberglass logos. The documents show these 15-foot logos as misshapen stars, but of course that could be an attempt to throw people off the scent of Apple. The Apple logo could certainly fit over the star-shaped subframe.
What would Apple need such a huge amount of space for? More attendees? A showcase of the Apple TV set-top box which has been subject to rumors? Or maybe it’s planning to unveil a large product, like the Apple car.
Rumors of product launches continue to swirl
Alongside the iPhone 7 or iPhone 6S, analysts believe that a company may announce a more basic 4-inch smartphone. Other rumors include a new version of Apple TV with touchpad remote, Siri remote and its own App Store.
As tends to be the case with Apple products, there is a huge amount of unsubstantiated rumor that flies around the Internet. To find out what Apple is really planning, we’ll have to wait until the company sends out the invitations.
If the space really is meant for use by Apple, it would mark a sea change in the way the company launches its products. Even if the extra space is needed to unveil a larger product like an electric car, it will allow the company to allow far more people to the event.
iPhone 7 to feature upgraded components and new colorways
Alongside the regular silver, grey and gold iPhone that consumers have become used to, it is thought that the iPhone 7 will be available in rose gold. The colorway will match the Apple Watch.
Technically speaking, the new iPhone should offer significant upgrades to its camera. With people shooting videos and snapping photos on their devices, it has been predicted that the 16GB entry-level model will be dropped due to the fact that it is simply not enough space for the iPhone to function as it should do.
A new A9 processor is expected to be included, improving performance and battery life. Apple’s Force Touch is also expected to be included, a control system which can differentiate between a light touch or a heavy touch on the device’s touch screen. The feature can be used to open specific apps using different strokes, or use certain features with those apps.
Although we now know that the launch event will be held around September 7, consumers will certainly want to know when they can get their hands on a next-generation iPhone. At one French carrier, an internal leak apparently revealed that orders will be taken from September 11 onward, and in-store sales will start September 18.
As it stands, most of the information is still just rumor and speculation. Apple will need to offer significant upgrades over the existing iPhone 6 if it is to drive sales, and the rumored specs might just be enough.
