Rumors: What to expect from Apple’s next event

Well-connected Apple secret leaker, Mark Gurman, is back with a side helping of so far little discussed new features he now expects we’ll learn more about September 12, when Apple announces the new iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch.

Spoiling the surprise, or feeding the appetite?

The main thrust of his latest report looks at the various sensor and component upgrades across both devices, including new versions of Apple’s optical heart rate sensor.

But some of the claims are a little more interesting.

UWB, the environment, and a faster watch

• The introduction of a new U2 ultra-wideband chip should considerably enhance a range of location abilities across all the products and should also enable more accuracy when using the Find My app. This new UWB chip is expected to appear across all the new Apple products, including in iPhone.
• Corporate social responsibility in the form of more use of recycled products also seems to be part of the news. The next watch will make more use of recycled materials, he said, and will feature a 3D printed casing. There will also be a black Apple Watch Ultra and USB-C AirPods Pro. Regular AirPods and the AirPods Max will get USB-C charging in 2024.
• The watch will also feature a new processor to deliver big increases in processing speed, his report said. That’s good, given the processor has remained pretty much the same across the last three versions of the device.

How to watch September’s 12 iPhone ‘Wonderlust’ #Apple Event

What to expect from the new iPhones

Additional features to the iPhone 15 range will include:

• USB-C port.
• Dynamic Island across the range
• The iPhone Pro models will gain titanium frames with ultra-thin curved bezels. These should be about 10% lighter than current models.
• iPhone gains an Action button.
• iPhone Pro models win a 3nm A17 Bionic chip, though the iPhone range sticks with an A16.
• All regular iPhones gain a fantastic camera upgrade, from 12-megapixels to 48-megapixels.
• The iPhone 15 Pro Max periscope lens will deliver up to 5-6x zoom – great for spatial recording, too.
• Colors will include Titan Gray, Blue, Silver, and Space Black.
• 8GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6E.
• eSIM only in additional countries.
• More repairable design.
• Qi2 support.
• Pro models will be up to $200 more expensive (ouch).

I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Apple extend support for its satellite-based Emergency SOS system to additional nations, and potentially some extension of the capabilities of that feature.

What else to think about

Apple may also discontinue its leather cases and watch bands in favor of more environmentally friendly alternatives as it seeks to reduce the climate cost of owning its devices.

The latest Omdia data proves that Apple is the biggest smartphone brand. Not only do its devices take five of ten slots in the most shipped chart, but Apple is selling tens of millions more devices than anyone else in the top ten, combined. It seems on course to be the world’s biggest brand again with iPhone 15..

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