Finally Apple’s September 10 press event is upon us, kicking off tomorrow at Apple’s Cupertino, CA headquarters. All of the rumors surrounding the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iOS 7, iPad, and iPad mini will be put to rest as Tim Cook and company will take the stage to announce its next-generation lineup of gadgets and gizmos as well as when they’ll be available to the general public.
Though we’ve seen plenty of leaked photos and specs, not once has Apple commented on a single aspect of its innovations leaving all of the gossip to tech pundits and hawking media outlets. So on the eve of what’s sure to be Apple’s latest product release and without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s September 10 press event.
Setting
Per usual, the event will take place in Cupertino, CA, the home base of Apple Inc. At 10am local time (1pm ET) Tim Cook will take the stage and set up his crew the way Tom Brady set up Stephen Gostkowski’s Vinatieri-esque game winning field goal yesterday in the Patriots’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills.
And of course since the likelihood of you being present at tomorrow’s showcase is as high as Bashar al-Assad saying “Just kidding, international community” we’ll be live streaming the entire event so be sure to tune in to BostInno for top-to-bottom Apple coverage.
iPhone 5S
The iPhone 5S is the next-gen flagship smartphone and deviates slightly from the Apple norm in terms of design and features. The first noticeable change comes by way of Apple’s decision to increase its color options by two. Now alongside the typical black and white, users have the option of purchasing a gold or champagne iPhone or one in graphite.
The discovery of the gold-option iPhone came with the knowledge that Apple is considering an iPhone variant with 128GB of internal storage for users, significantly more than the universal 16, 32, and 64 gigabyte options.
The iPhone 5S will also carry a 4-inch IGZO display, a 12MP rear-facing camera, dual-LED flash with /2.0 lens, and a convex home button used to house an authentication fingerprint sensor. Keep in mind that a recent article report thinks the home button will remain concave so be weary. Also be on the look out for 16GB and 32GB internal storage variants and, of course, iOS 7 and all of the features the flagship mobile operating system has to offer.
iPhone 5C
Considered Apple’s low-cost or budget-friendly version of the iPhone, the 5C will be the first plastic smartphone from the electronics giant. And not just plastic, but colorful plastic. Expanding on the new theme of additional colors, Apple will include an entire spectrum of neon colors like blue, pink, and green putting the ‘C’ in iPhone 5C.
The iPhone 5C will be similar in size and specs — a 4-inch display, upgraded camera, and possible inclusion of the aforementioned fingerprint sensor — but is thought to have a scaled-back iOS 7 to account for its budget-friendliness. Techies are calling for the price of the 5C to run in the neighborhood of $99 with a two-year contract subsidy, but per usual Apple’s philosophy is mum’s the word.
If the diminished specs and low price are correct, the iPhone 5C will be Apple’s first foray into the world of mid-range devices with applicable price tags. Under the yolk of Steve Jobs, Apple has only produced one or two, maybe three, versions of its products (for example, multiple iPod versions on the market at once) at once and never anything that affordable. This maybe give some insight into the company’s direction, one that opens up Apple’s goodies to a much larger market and a far cry from Steve Jobs’s isolationist perspective on products.
iOS 7
The new mobile operating system by Apple, iOS 7 was debuted back at WWDC in June, giving tech junkies more time to take a substantial look since at what Apple’s going for. iOs 7 will help to make or break both iPhones as software is the area Apple spent a majority of its time tweaking. The entire UI of iOS 7 shifts on an axis when physically shifted by the user in order to give the best possible viewing angle. Even better is that this feature extends beyond the home screen and occurs with all apps.
The comprehensive redesign also includes the new unlock screen with rounded numerals, multiple pages for each app, cleaner typography all around, full screen edge-to-edge photos, ability to swipe between messages or apps, the notifications center available directly from lock screen, and “today view” which shows all that’s on tap for the day from all information saved in iCloud and in your calendar.
Safari for iOS 7 appears to be multifunctional as well, allowing for more than the previous 8-tabs open at once, easily navigabale swiping cues, and improved bookmarking for easy access.
Finally with iOS 7, Apple will have an answer to the naysayers who thought its mobile operating system was dead in the water without NFC capability. AirDrop shows users which friends are in close proximity and makes items easy to share anything–photos, articles, documents, social media, etc.–with multiple friends at once. No need to worry about security either as AirDrop will use securely encrypted peer-to-peer Wi-Fi.
The camera feature will offer a slew of new filters for amateur photographers to salivate over, while the photo app helps to easily manage and share pics, organize photos in albums, and pull out interesting and patterned images that might be of interest to the user.
iPad & iPad mini
Losing most of the spotlight to the aforementioned devices are the iPad and iPad mini. Rumors of Apple looking to implement a Retina display in the iPad mini have been running rampant for months but last we heard Apple was still working out the kinks. At this point, it looks as thought both iPads will be released in October at the earliest, that is if Apple launches them both at the same time. It’s equally as likely that Apple will launch one before the end of this year and the other in early 2014. That being said, I would advise against getting your hopes up for an iPad show tomorrow, but then again Apple could’ve fooled us all into thinking its flair for showmanship as gone the way of Steve Jobs’s innovative spark so I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. Tread carefully, my friends.
Launch Dates & Prices
Even more important than what kind of software these products will be running underneath their respective hoods is when they’ll be made consumer available and how much they’ll cost. Unfortunately these details are often times harder to come by than photos and specs so take these with an extra grain of salt.
It’s thought both iPhone variants will hit the retail shelves on September 20, corresponding with Apple’s usual 10-day showcase and launch timeline and reports that the iPhone will be released in Japan on the same date. The Asian country is typically included in the same launch market as the U.S., or at least has been with Apple products, so if they’re going to see the iPhones on September 20, we could as well.
iOS 7 updates will probably be dispatched on the subsequent days of its unveiling tomorrow, usually not being so on the day it’s detailed in public.
Bottom Line
I’m usually guilty of bias towards Apple products but I can’t say the same for this launch. I’m in the boat, along with plenty others, that says Apple has lost that certain something that made it a groundbreaker in the tech realm, basically perfecting the mobile music player and inventing the smartphone market. Still, the last time Apple developed a completely original product was when Jobs was alive.
Jobs’s repeated ins and outs in the Apple boardroom is well documented in American lore (long story short: Apple thrived with him, then floundered without him, then thrived with him again) and appears to be repeating itself again now that he’s gone for good.
Cue the iWatch.
Smartwatches have gained significant ground as of late with Samsung launching its Galaxy Gear, a technical timepiece that syncs seamlessly with Galaxy smartphones. If Apple plans on making some headway with the iWatch, you would never know it. Certain personnel acquisitions have led many to believe that the iWatch will be focused on fitness, but that’s just so not Apple. Fitness will likely be one cog in a well-oiled machine that is the iWatch but don’t expect that to make the retail rounds until mid-to-late next year.
Stay tuned to BostInno tomorrow for the latest information and live coverage of Apple’s iPhone release event tomorrow at 10am PT/ 1pm ET.
