Apple ‘poised’ to unveil next iPhone
LOS ANGELES, Aug 26, (RTRS): Apple is poised to announce the next version of the iPhone as well as a revamped Apple TV in the coming weeks. The company typically keeps mum on any new devices until revealing them on stage, but a steady stream of leaks offers up some hints as to what’s in store from Apple this fall.
When: Apple has yet to invite journalists to its traditional late-summer iPhone event, so we don’t know yet exactly when the company is going to make these announcements. However, if past years are any indication, Apple is likely going to make the reveal during the first or possibly second week of September.
The next iPhone: Multiple leaks indicate that Apple isn’t releasing just one or two, but possibly as many as three new iPhone models. In addition to revamped versions of the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, this may include a new premium-priced iPhone 8.
This new model may cost as much as $1,000, according to a recent New York Times report. For that price, consumers can expect to get a bigger and betterlooking screen with thinner bezels and 3D facial recognition that even works in low-lighting situations, thanks to an infrared camera. Leaks have also pointed to this model foregoing the traditional home button, which would make it possible to extend the screen close to the bottom of the device.
Although $1,000 is a lot for a phone, the price is not unprecedented. For instance, most wireless customers will have to pay $960 for the base model of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and even more if they want any additional storage.
The regular-priced versions of the iPhone, which may possibly be called the 7S and 7S Plus, will also get a speedier processor as well as wireless charging, according to recent reports.
The next Apple TV: Apple first introduced an Apple TV capable of running the full App Store back in 2015, and that model is overdue for a refresh. Industry chatter has long suggested that the next version of the Apple TV will support 4K and HDR, something Bloomberg confirmed this week. The company may also introduce a new version of its TV app, adding aggregation of live streams.
What else: We’re all but certainly poised to get to learn a bit more about Apple’s upcoming HomePod speaker. The company kept mum on many details, including the names of supported music services, when it first introduced the internet-connected speaker at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
Finally, the release of the latest version of iOS may get more attention than it usually does. That’s largely due to ARKit, Apple’s first foray into augmented reality, which the company also announced at WWDC. ARKit has been available to developers since June, and a number of them have been pushing the boundaries of smartphone-based AR ever since. Expect Apple to show off some of those examples on stage in September as well.