On Wednesday, Apple will be holding its annual iPhone event.
While I’m not invited, I will be trying to follow along with the news as it’s coming out, since I’m an avid Apple and tech fan.
Here’s what I’m expecting and excited about, plus some speculation.
What to expect when everyone gather’s round
This event is coming right on cue. All the Apple bloggers (iMore and Daringfireball at least) have been guessing at when this thing would kick off, and surprise, Apple is going like clockwork for this event. I’m excited. I’ve been waiting for a few devices to make their appearance or get upgrades.
Like most of the pundits, I’m not expecting everything Apple makes to get an upgrade, but still, there are some things I’m pretty sure will get upgraded.
iPhone home
The rumor on the street is that there will be 3 new iPhones this year. One of those 3 will be an updated version of the iPhone X (10) called the Xs (10s). I’m going to have to get this one just based on the name alone! The Xs is supposedly going to be just the updated version of the X that came out last year, so faster, better camera, hopefully, better battery life.
The two other phones are brand new. There’s supposed to be a cheaper version of the iPhone coming. While the X uses stainless steel around the phone, this new one will use aluminum. The camera on the back will also see a downgrade from the X. You can see the lone camera on the back of the middle phone in the picture above.
We don’t know if that camera will be worse than the other cameras on the Xs, I’d assume it’s as good as the main shooter on it, but it
This new phone will be bigger in size than the standard iPhone X, and it will feature the FaceID. The screen technology will be LCD vs OLED however, and it is said that the bezels will be slightly larger, but the screen will cover the entire face.
Finally, there’s a rumor of a larger iPhone Xs. While the rumors are saying that this won’t be called the plus, it is still the large plus size phone. It is supposed to be
I’m definitely staying in the Xs range for this year’s phone. I think the cheaper phone will sell like hotcakes if the price is right, which is what it seems like they are shooting for, but the new Xs will be calling my name.
My big decision will be between the smaller or bigger one. Right now, I’m torn between the two. When it was introduced with the iPhone 6 I went with the plus-sized phone all the way until the iPhone X. While the screen was actually bigger than the plus, the phone was about the size of the regular sized iPhone. I love that this phone fits in my pocket better. It’s smaller so it goes anywhere. I had been wanting to downgrade in size towards the end of owning my iPhone 7. However, the bigger phone is calling to me again.
Living with the iPhone X for as long as I have, I’ve gotten used to the size, but the transition took a while. Videos and games felt cramped when viewed in landscape orientation. I didn’t see as much on the screen in those times I was reading or writing on my phone. And the battery!
All of these things are tempting me back to the larger phone.
I think the thing that will make really decide comes down to 2 things: price and storage
If the base storage is up to around 128gigs and the big phone is within the price of what I’m paying now on the iPhone upgrade program, I’ll probably go with the big phone.
If the storage is lower than 128, and the price to upgrade is more than what I’m currently paying, I’m pretty sure that I’m sticking with my current sized phone.
TLDR: I’m going for an iPhone Xs. If the larger phone has good storage and a good price, I’ll be going with that, otherwise I’m sticking with the regular size.
What time is it?
The other thing I’m banking on making an appearance at the event will be the Apple Watch Series 4.
9to5mac has already spoiled this one.
I think this new watch face looks amazing.
I bought the series 3 with LTE last year when it came out and I love it. It’s the second Apple Watch I’ve owned including the very first generation. It’s still working fine and I don’t have any problems with it. I was pretty content to keep it and move on this year at the event…
And then 9to5mac found this leak and posted it.
I’m not sure if it’s just the new watch face being shown off in the picture, or if its the new screen that goes edge to edge, but my desire to upgrade went way up.
With more screen on the watch, apps have more room to breathe. They have more space to do stuff. It makes sense.
There’s also a rumor that there will be a new health sensor of some kind, but not much has leaked about that.
If that comes to be, and the price is right, I might just have to upgrade.
I’m trying to stay strong on this one, but all my friend know that I’m weak.
TLDR: Trying not to upgrade my watch this year, but I might be too tempted. If the price is right and there is a new component to the health sensors, I might just bite the bullet.
I have the power
When last years phones were introduced, they also introduced Apple’s charging induction mat. This lets the phones charge by being placed on the mat instead of being plugged in. It’s a real first world item. Plugging a phone in isn’t that hard.
All of the phones last year had the ability to be placed on these charging mats to be charged. So of course, even though I think it’s a simple thing, I found a cheap Qi charger on Amazon last year. I actually really like it for my nightstand by my bed.
All you have to do it put your phone on it and it charges the phone. When my alarm goes off, I just grab the phone and snooze it. No worrying about pulling the nightstand over because it’s still plugged in.
The Apple version dubbed “AirPower” will allow you to charge up to 3 compliant devices at once, placed anywhere on the mat. So I could charge my phone, watch, and AirPods at the same time.
That would be pretty easy to do.
Again, I’m going to wait for dates and prices. This is something that I’d like to have, but I hear that it’s going to be pretty pricey. $150 is no the same as the $12 I spent on my phone charger.
If the price is right, I might get the charging mat, but really, I doubt I’m going to get it right now. It might make a good Christmas present down the road, so I’m going to try and leave that.
TLDR: Going to hold out on this.
Music to my ears
One of my favorite things that Apple has made in the past couple of years had to be AirPods. I was lucky enough to get in on the first batch that went out. I really liked how easy these were to set up, pop in, charge, and change.
I was crushed when I lost my pair in February.
I’ve been using my wife’s pair since then since she doesn’t use them as much as I do. They are pretty easy to share still as well. They paired to all of our devices and we just have to select them to get them to work.
I’ve held out this long, waiting for the next generation. There hasn’t been much out of the rumor mill that confirms that they are coming soon. They have said that there is a new pair being worked on, that features the “Hey Siri” command and the case will be able to be charged using a Qi charger.
If they are announced and released at this event, count me in. I’ll be happy to clean up my wife’s pair and give them back to her and have a pair of my own again.
TLDR:Buying if announced
Wrapping it up
Honestly, that’s all I’m expecting at this event. Maybe a mention of when iOS 12 will launch (probably 2 weeks after the event), but not much else.
I’m hoping that there’s more. I’m looking to update my iPad Pro this year, but I can wait on a new update. My iPad is probably my favorite device to work on these days, but its screen is just so small compared to my MacBook Pro. I’d love an update, plus the rumors are that the bezels will be mostly removed and the screen size increased (for the smaller of the 2 iPad Pros, which is the one that I would get).
If an update gets announced, pencil me in for a new iPad.
I’ve also been saving up for a new iMac. I highly doubt that any Macs will be introduced at this event this year. It would detract from the iPhone too much.
I’m hoping that they will host an October event after they get the iPhones out to introduce new Macs and iPads. If they do, expect another of these articles.
Also, expected to check back after the Apple event to see what I thought and how strong I’m actually being.