The Apple rumor mill is in full swing again as the tech giant begins to put together what many hope will be one of the biggest events in its history. Currently, many self-proclaimed industry insiders are pointing toward September 7 as the date we’ve all been waiting for, but with Apple not spilling the beans yet, we can only guess at what new products CEO Tim Cook will announce. So here’s a breakdown of what is being tipped for the event.
iPhone 7
This is the big one if you’re a user of Apple’s handsets. However, the fact that the company has said nothing at all about the handset means all we have to go on are rumors, and there are enough of them to fill The New York Times from front to back for a week.
So here’s a summary of what has been rumored. As far as design is concerned, the prevailing assumption is that the iPhone 7 will take on many aspects of the handsets that came before it, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. A few tweaks are expected, with one possibly being the removal of the headphone jack, which will mean that Bluetooth headphones or an adapter will be required. The rumored redesign of the antenna lines could be one story that sticks as Apple has, according to insiders, been working on this for some time.
One of the more exciting and persistent rumors surrounding the iPhone 7 is the inclusion of a dual-camera set-up, but it is believed that this will be used in the iPhone 7 Plus and not the standard model. Another piece of good news, if true, is Apple’s dropping of the base 16GB storage option in favor of 32GB. This would help those who have complained that 16GB with no card storage option is too limiting.
Will the iPhone 7 be announced on September 7? Unless Apple announces something before the event, you have 20 days to wait and see.
Apple Watch 2
As with the iPhone 7 above, there has been no word from Apple about its next smartwatch, and there has been even less chatter about its specs online, so here’s what I can tell you.
Apparently TPK Holding told DigiTimes that Apple is planning on removing the glass-on-glass panel and instead going with a one-glass material solution. This move, according to the rumor, would free up significant space within the Apple Watch 2 and could, in fact, lead to a watch that is up to 40% thinner than its predecessor.
Concerning design, much like with the iPhone 7, rumors about the Apple Watch 2 are suggesting that only minor design differences maybe be made. Instead, the company could introduce new straps or two new watch variations that would sit between the steel variant and the cheaper Sports option.
The watch could also have GPS, improved waterproofing, and cellular connectivity, which means it would no longer be tied to the iPhone.
iPad Pro 2
According to a recent report by Mac Rumors, well-known industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that there will be three new iPads launched in 2017. He suggests that these will be the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the iPad Pro 2 and a new variant with a 10.5-inch display.
As for the iPad Pro 2 specifically, just like the other Apple products in this article, nothing has been said about it by the company. In fact, there has been nothing that points towards it launching the tablet at the rumored September 7 event at all. To be even more cynical about its chances, there was no mention of it at the June developer conference either.
However, there are those out there who think Apple will surprise everyone this year with a strong product line-up which includes the iPad Pro 2. The thinking behind this is that Apple quickly needs a device on the market that can compete with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 5, which has a detachable keyboard.
MacBook Pro
According to Inverse, the MacBook Pro will be a no-show at the event on September 7. If this is true, it will be a huge disappointment to some Mac users who were hoping to see the first redesign of the device in more than four years. Could this be a massive shake-up of what many are calling a tired device?
Within this redesign, it is expected that the top row of function keys will be replaced with a touch-pad. This means those users who use the Notes app will receive app-specific keys instead of the usual “Pause,” “Play,” and other buttons. Super-fast Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, a much thinner profile and Touch ID fingerprint security could also be in the cards.
According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the iPad Pro 2 will definitely not be at the September event, but this is a rumor that has been around for some time. Instead, he thinks we will see it at an event in the fourth quarter.
Final thoughts
Here is yet another rumor: Apple is sending out invites to its upcoming event, but no pictures of an invite have been leaked online yet, and no member of the press has spoken about an invite either. So either the event itself is a figment of someone’s imagination, or Apple is keeping its secrets even closer to its chest than usual because this year’s show is set to be the biggest and most exciting we’ve ever seen.
Which do you think it is?
