Apple has finally announced a date for its annual fall press event, where the tech giant is expected to unveil its latest iPhone model.
The launch event is set to take place Sept. 7, according to invitations sent to media this week. Of course, in typical Apple fashion, the invitation shares little information about the event except for the words, “See you on the 7th.”
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However, some took this as a subtle hint about what might be released.
Apple’s fall press event is typically reserved for releasing the company’s newest smartphone model. This year, the company is expected to unveil the iPhone 7 and a larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.
Last year, the company released the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus during the press event; however, as with most of its “S” model updates, the smartphones mostly received upgrades to their internal components.
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But the iPhone 7 is rumoured to have more significant changes to it’s design — the biggest of which could be the elimination of the headphone jack. If Apple does decide to release an iPhone without a headphone jack, it’s likely the company will unveil some sort of adapter to support existing audio devices and likely Apple branded Bluetooth wireless headphones.
Rumours surrounding the removal of the headphone jack have not been well-received by Apple users. In fact, an online petition accusing Apple of trying to rip off customers by removing the headphone jack has been signed over 303,000 times.
“Not only will this force iPhone users to dole out additional cash to replace their hi-fi headphones, it will single handedly create mountains of electronic waste — that likely won’t get recycled,” reads the petition.
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Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has criticized the move.
“If it’s missing the 3.5mm earphone jack, that’s going to tick off a lot of people,” he told the Australian Financial Review. “I would not use Bluetooth … I don’t like wireless. I have cars where you can plug in the music, or go through Bluetooth, and Bluetooth just sounds so flat for the same music.”
Reports also suggest that the iPhone 7 could see big improvements to the phone’s camera and touch screen, as well as a more powerful battery. Some rumours have even suggested the phone could be waterproof.
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The Sept. 7 event may also be an opportunity for Apple to unveil an update to the Apple Watch. According to reports, the wearable device could be updated to feature built-in GPS. Apple is also rumoured to be working on new MacBook Pro laptops, which may make an appearance at the event.
Alongside the launch of a new smartphone will likely be an official release date for Apple’s new mobile operating system iOS 10.
iOS 10 will feature a number of changes. The messaging app, for instance, will allow users to alter the size of the bubbles surrounding the text and help convey the feelings by underlining words. Messaging will also rely on machine learning to automatically suggest appropriate emoji to place alongside texts and show thumbnails of the information contained in a web link.
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