Apple’s big September event is tomorrow today, September 9. Traditionally, the new iPhone refresh is announced in September, with availability not far behind.
I think tomorrow be a big event, but the biggest news may not all be about the new iPhones. I have no inside information on this — just access to the same news and rumors sites everyone else does. Here’s what I think we’ll see tomorrow:
iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
Apple will announce the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus updates (or whatever they’ll be called). This is a given. It’s been a year since new iPhones have been released and in keeping with “tradition,” we’re due.
Although Apple has been maintaining a camera-centric ad campaign this year, they’ve toned town the megapixels-speak. I think the new iPhones will finally have a 12 megapixel camera. The hardware is definitely ready for prime time and for Apple’s (and iPhoneographers’) expectations. The iPhone camera has featured 8MP cameras since the 4S series and an image size bump is due.
I expect the camera to be the next generation of the same module that’s currently in the Samsung Galaxy S5 device, which is a pretty damned-good smartphone camera. I think the module will have custom Apple-only enhancements to improve photos and videos even further. One rumor that I read was that the camera may have 4k Ultra HD video, which I think is a strong possibility.
I’m hoping that the in-camera image and video stabilization of the current 6 Plus comes to the 6S model and isn’t limited to the larger 6S Plus (or whatever it’s called).
I don’t expect too many other surprises for the iPhone camera.
I think the iPhone itself will get a speed bump, more RAM, and a flash storage bump — those are no-brainers. Some are speculating that the new iPhones will street September 18. My guess is that they’ll be in-stores up to a week later.
iOS9 and Mac OS X El Capitan
While I don’t think that the major updates for Apple’s two operating systems are ready to street yet, I think we’ll get some definite release dates. I think iOS 9 will coincide with the in-store availability of the updated iPhones — most likely within two weeks. My guess for El Capitan is for it to be available sometime later, probably in mid-October. This would be an announcement to get us excited rather than a “we’re almost done with it and you can download it Friday” announcement.
Apple TV
I think Siri, Apple’s ubiquitous personal assistant, finally makes her debut as part of a major Apple TV upgrade. As an Apple TV owner and someone who thinks it’s already the bee knees, this may be wishful thinking on my part. However, a major upgrade to Apple TV was rumored for WWDC in June of this year, but didn’t pan out because all of the pieces weren’t in place yet.
If this rumor holds true, Apple may announce a Web-TV service in the vein of a Hulu-like Apple TV service which would go head-to-head with the cable companies.
Because the Apple TV has been allowed to languish for so long, I think this may be the real “big deal” for this announcement. Apple TV and other devices like it, are a real game-changer with the potential to give viewers much more versatile entertainment options than a traditional cable company offerings. I’m not sure what Apple has in store for this upgrade, but it needs to leapfrog over other devices currently available and set the standard for a digital entertainment device. The stakes are high here.
iPad Pro?
iPad Pro? No. I would be surprised if Apple announced a rumored 13″ iPad at this time. I’d expect another big Apple event sometime between now and the start of the holiday shopping season if this device were to be released this year.
How To Watch the Event
Apple will be live streaming the keynote here on September 9, starting at 10:00 am Pacific time. Life In LoFi have a wrap up later in the day.
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What do you think Apple will announce tomorrow? What would you like to see? Sound off in the comments below!
