Earlier this week, Apple officially scheduled the (virtual) conference for its annual September event, inviting members of the press and the public to tune in remotely on September 15.
New Apple Watch and iPad devices, details on iOS 14, and more Read on for everything you need to know about Apple’s special event in September.
When is Apple’s conference this year?
This year’s Apple conference will be held on Tuesday, September 15, and the event will be entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so expect a pre-recorded video from the Steve Jobs Theater and Apple Park. You’ll be able to stream the event live through Apple’s website, on YouTube, and through the Apple TV app. It will start at 8 pm Saudi time and 9 pm UAE time.
The new iPad Air
The iPad Air is expected to be significantly redesigned this year, based on several different reports over the past month. According to a leaked brochure from last month, Apple has developed an iPad Air 4 that closely resembles the iPad Pro.
The iPad Air shown in these images features an edge-to-edge display without a home button, along with flat edges and USB-C connectivity. Instead of Face ID, these images suggest that the new iPad Air will actually have Touch ID built into the side button on the iPad Air.
The idea of a Touch ID side button in an Apple product was first proposed by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that the 2021 iPhone SE Plus would feature Touch ID in the side button. If these images are to be believed, it looks like Apple will also be bringing the technology to the iPad Air.
Assuming this latest leak is real, it would represent a major upgrade for the iPad Air, which looks rather dated compared to the iPad Pro. The iPad Air sits between the $329 base model and the high-end iPad Pro models in Apple’s tablet lineup, and giving it a more modern look will help distance it from the entry-level iPad.
Bloomberg reported that a new iPad with an edge-to-edge display will be one of the focal points of the September 15 event, so we expect to learn more tomorrow, Tuesday.
Apple Watch sixth generation
In addition to the new iPad Air, the September event is also expected to include the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 6. Evidence has also become that this year’s Apple Watch will focus heavily on new health features, as the code in iOS 14 indicated that the Apple Watch will add blood oxygen level detection this year.
9to5Mac also found evidence in iOS 14 that Apple is improving the heart rate feature with the Apple Watch Series 6. The fourth and fifth generation Apple Watches currently only give you inconclusive ECG readings with a heart rate between 100 and 120 beats per minute.
The Apple Watch Series 6 will likely look similar to the Apple Watch Series 5. Reports indicate that there aren’t any major changes in store and that it will follow the same general form factor as the 4th and 5th generation models. Of course, things like new finishes, colors, and straps are always possible.
Finally, the Apple Watch Series 6 is expected to officially abandon support for Force Touch. Force Touch allowed Apple Watch users to press forcefully on the device’s screen to access additional content and controls, such as changing watch faces or clearing all notifications.
In watchOS 7, Apple abandoned the Force Touch feature, and the Apple Watch Series 6 will likely remove components of this function as well, which would free up some space inside the new Apple Watch Series 6, but it is unclear how Apple can compensate for this space for use elsewhere.
IOS14 update release dates
Besides announcements of new iPhone devices, Apple will likely provide additional details about iOS 14, watchOS 7, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14 during the September event. While Apple unveiled these new updates at WWDC in June, it generally likes to take another look at features at its September event.
This week, Apple released iOS 14 beta 8 to developers and public beta users. This may be the last additional beta version of iOS 14. The history suggests that the main version of iOS 14 will be released after Apple’s special event on September 15. From there, we expect a public release shortly after. , along with watchOS 7 and tvOS 14. Apple will likely announce the release during the event.
Given that the iPhone 12 won’t be available until October at the earliest. This means that new iPhone models will likely ship and be sold with something like iOS 14.1
As for macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple will likely save that release for some time in October or even November, depending on the timeline for the first Apple Silicon Mac.
New Apple TV
Apple is also reportedly working on a new Apple TV and a Siri remote. Evidence of this has been around the iOS code for a while, and a report recently suggested that one of the changes will be a faster chip to improve gaming performance. As for the new Apple TV remote, Bloomberg suggested that one of the upgrades would be support for the Find My app.
This will make it easier for people to locate the remote control when it is lost at home.
News about your Mac
Finally, a new Mac lineup is almost set to begin the transition to Apple Silicon processors. Apple has said it will launch the first Apple Silicon Mac before the end of this year, but current indications are that the Apple Silicon transition will not be addressed at the September event.
But there is no iPhone 12…
Contrary to tradition, reports from a variety of sources indicate that the iPhone 12 will not be announced during Apple’s event in September of this year as the iPhone 12 phones faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Apple itself confirmed in July that this year’s iPhones will arrive “a few weeks” from the same time last year in which the iPhone 11 phones arrived.
So when can we expect the iPhone 12 to be announced? Right now, indications are that Apple will hold another special event in October focused on the iPhone 12 and possibly new Macs.
In the meantime, you can follow us to keep up to date with all the latest news about the new iPhones.
Source: 9to5mac
