September is a time of change, at least in South Africa. There are birds in the sky, occasionally there’s rain, and the Apples tend to turn up as well. Apple’s ‘Far Out’ product event is scheduled for 7 September this year and, as usual, we can expect the company to go all-out.
But what are we expecting from Apple’s 7 September event being held at the Steve Jobs Theatre? A whole bunch of new iPhones, certainly. An updated Apple Watch is likely. There might even be some serious surprises to liven up a fairly predictable year so far.
Far Out, man
Apple’s September event only ever means one thing — iPhones. Unless you’re counting 2020 when Apple thoroughly irritated everyone and spread its event over three months. But that was 2020. It shouldn’t count.
This year is a slightly more normal affair. People will gather in Apple’s purpose-built theatre to see Tim Cook and friends unveil the iPhone 14, in various shapes and sizes. Here’s what we know so far about this week’s event.
iPhone 14 – Pros and cons
There could well be a change afoot for Apple’s iPhone lineup. There will still be four smartphones launched, but there are some superficial differences. The iPhone 14 Mini won’t be present, according to reports. Instead, there’s set to be a stock iPhone 14, an iPhone 14 Max, and then a pair of Pros. An iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are also supposed to be in the offing. And that’s where the difference comes in.
Previously, Apple launched all of its devices with the same processors. That, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, changes this year. The Pro models will supposedly arrive with Apple’s new A16 Bionic chipset. The stock phones will pack last year’s chipset — the A15 Bionic. It makes sense, from a product point of view. Why call something a Pro when the basic model is just as fast? Perhaps the company’s cheaper phones have been cannibalizing its high-end hardware.
Expected are two 6.1in iPhone 14s (one Pro, one not) and two 6.7in iPhone 14 Max handsets (also one Pro, one not). The big new feature is supposed to be an always-on display, which might well cover that whole ‘Far Out’ concept. But it’s also entirely possible that Apple’s got some night photography surprises to drop on customers later this week. That would make even more sense.
Apple Watch this space
There might well be another touch of Pro something to Apple’s event on Wednesday. As far back as July this year, talk of a new tier of Apple Watch has bubbled. Just what the Apple Watch Pro will entail isn’t certain, but it’s expected to be a more rugged version of the company’s Watch. It might not work out in space, but it’ll probably fare a little better out in the wild. A stronger display and titanium shell are predicted, but it’ll possibly only be available in a cellular model. It’ll be pricy. Hopefully, it’ll justify the cost. Heck, we’ll be looking on with interest if Apple just manages to extend the Watch’s battery life.
Reality – Our ‘one more thing’?
This is a long shot since we’ve been predicting it for ages and it never turns up. But this year… this could be the year. Apple’s said to have a set of AR/VR glasses in the works, that’s no secret. Whether we’re actually going to see them… that’s more of a mystery.
The company, it was recently discovered, has filed for trademarks on ‘Reality One’ and ‘Reality Pro’. That sounds an awful lot like Apple’s entry-level and high-end VR hardware. Whether it breaks cover this week or has some space reserved for it to garner all of the attention is something we’ll have to wait and see. It’s been long enough already. The iPhones are powerful enough to run the hardware. Let’s see what Apple can do with the tech, yeah?
Tune in, turn on, drop out
Apple’s event takes place live on 7 September at 10AM Pacific Time. Here in South Africa, that’s 19:00 on 7 September. You’ll be able to watch the event on Apple’s website, on YouTube, on Twitter, and right here on Stuff. We’ll be sifting through the marketing so you don’t have to. The only thing missing at the end of 7 September? Local launch and pricing details, because that stuff’s never locked down ahead of time. See you on Wednesday, folks.
