This week’s Apple iPhone launch at the company’s new headquarters in Cupertino is shaping up to be one of the biggest events in the company’s history and here’s what we can expect to see.
The event – which will kick off at 10am September 12 US time (3am Wednesday September 13 Sydney time) – will be held fittingly in the Steve Jobs Theatre – named after Apple’s co-founder who revealed the first iPhone to the world 10 years ago.
Throw in the fact that we’re also going to see a new radically redesigned iPhone along with some other products including possibly an updated Apple Watch and you’ve got a lot of anticipation around this announcement.
There has been no shortage of rumours and reports about the new iPhone so from these we’ve pieced together the most likely things we’ll see.
NEW iPHONE DESIGN
We can safely assume the new iPhone will have a 5.8-inch OLED display that takes up the entire front face of the device.
This means there will be no home button which means there will also be no Touch ID fingerprint reader.
There is also likely to be a notch at the top of the screen to house the front facing camera and other senses.
This means the iPhone will have a split status bar with the time on the left side and signal bars, battery level and either 4G or Wi-Fi connectivity symbols on the right.
The sheer number of rumours and even hints about the iPhone’s design in Apple’s own HomePod firmware makes this news almost a certainty.
It will reportedly have a glass rear panel with a stainless steel band separating the front and back surfaces of the iPhone.
CERTAIN
NEW iPHONE FEATURES
The fact the new iPhone will not have a Touch ID fingerprint reader leads us to believe one of the main new features will be a sophisticated new Face ID system.
So it’s likely your face will replace your fingerprint to unlock the new iPhone.
It can reportedly take a detailed 3D scan of the user’s face and recognise hundreds of different points to give it the same level of security as a fingerprint.
This Face ID will also be able to authorise App Store and iTunes purchases and also confirm the user’s identity when they want to use Apple Pay.
But to us, not having Touch ID to read our fingerprint on an iPhone seems like a radical departure considering the feature has been around for five years.
Has Apple done away with it for good?
One theory we have is Apple not abandoning Touch ID but rather repositioning it on the rear panel like other smartphones on the market.
But unlike other brands, Apple will not have a dedicated home/Touch ID button.
Instead, we think Apple may hide the Touch ID sensor behind the Apple logo which happens to sit at the centre of the rear panel of the iPhone.
It would be the ideal place to put it.
And it would give customers the option of using their fingerprint rather than their face to unlock the new iPhone.
With iOS 11 on board, the new iPhone will also access to Augmented Reality apps.
Wireless charging is also said to be included with the iPhone for the first time.
POSSIBLE
NEW iPHONE NAME
The most recent leaks appear to confirm Apple will most likely call its redesigned iPhone – the iPhone X.
X is the Roman numeral for 10 with this being the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.
This was reportedly found deep in the code of a leaked pre-release version of the Golden Master for iOS 11.
The other names on the shortlist were iPhone 8, iPhone Edition and iPhone Pro.
PROBABLE
OTHER iPHONES
The rumours point to there being not one, but two, new iPhones unveiled at the event.
There will be the new iPhone X with its new design and OLED screen and also another iPhone that is more faithful to the previous design.
We assumed that these would be the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus with a 4.7-inch and 5.5- inch display respectively and with a physical home Touch ID button.
The same leak that possibly revealed the iPhone X name also made reference to an iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
CERTAIN
NEW APPLE TV
Another product we should see is the fifth generation of the Apple TV which is likely to be able to stream 4K HDR content.
In terms of design, there will probably be no change with most of the updates under the hood.
These changes will include a faster processor to support 4K streaming.
PROBABLE
UPDATED APPLE WATCH
This event will mark three years since the original Apple Watch was unveiled.
There are strong reports that suggest we will be introduced to Apple Watch Series 3 which may have a slight design tweak along with a faster processor and more on-board storage.
Reports also indicate the new watch may also have 4G LTE connectivity through an embedded SIM card which will allow customers to connect to the internet and make and receive calls without their iPhone.
It might also be possible to make FaceTime and Skype calls right from your wrist with the Apple Watch Series 3.
POSSIBLE
All be revealed this week so stay tuned to Tech Guide for all the latest news and hands-on reviews of all the new Apple products that will be announced.
