What to expect from Apple’s September 9 special event

BY Kelly Hodgkins

Published 9 Sep 2015

Apple September 9 iPhone Event invite 2015
Apple sent out invitations for a special event to be held September 9th in San Francisco. Apple typically uses this fall presentation to introduce new iPhones along with hardware upgrades to its existing product lines. Last year, the company revealed details about the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch and Apple Pay. What do Tim Cook and company have in store for us this year? Read on to find out.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

Apple traditionally uses it fall event to unveil the next generation iPhone and this year is no exception. Based on the circulating rumors, the company is preparing to unveil two new iPhone models, dubbed iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. They are expected to be similar in design to the existing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets but may include a thicker housing to prevent any accidental bending of the phone.

Apple also is expected to bring the next generation Force Touch technology called 3D Touch to the next generation iPhone. This new pressure sensitive screen will open the door to new interactions and menu possibilities for developers. We’re also expecting to see the faster next-generation A9 system-on-chip, twice the RAM, 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera in the next iPhone models. The iPhone still will be available in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes with the company dropping the less expensive iPhone 5c.

Check our iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s rumor roundup for all the details on what to expect.
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Apple TV

For years, the rumor mill has been talking about a new Apple TV, but those previous rumors never panned out. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Apple now is ready to unveil its next generation set-top box. According to leaked information, the Apple TV will include an A8 processor and will run a version of iOS 9 optimized for television playback. Other features include expanded storage, wireless controller support, access to an App Store with a native developer SDK and Siri integration, universal search. Apple also is working on television streaming service that’ll provide a bundle of channels for as little as $40 per month. The service supposedly is still under negotiation and may not debut until next year. Apple is expected to make games the main selling point of its new Apple TV product. It is rumored to cost between $149 and $199.

Check our Apple TV 4 rumor roundup for all the details.

iPad Pro and iPad mini 4

If rumors are anything to go by, Apple is all set to give the iPad mini a major revamp and even unveil a larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a stylus, which has been rumored for the last couple of years now.

iPad Pro

If the code found in iOS 9 is anything to go by, the 12.9-inch display on the iPad Pro will sport a resolution of 2732 x 2048. The tablet will also feature four stereo speakers to provide a better immersive experience while watching movies or presentations.

Apple has also been rumored to use a new nanowire based touchscreen on the iPad Pro, as it will allow the display to be thinner and further decrease its response time. It will also play well with the Force Touch capable stylus that Apple will be launching with the tablet. The iPad Pro will borrow iPad Air 2’s design including its ultra thin chassis and narrow side bezels. It could be as thin as 7mm, which would make it thinner than the 7.1 mm iPhone 6 Plus, and slightly thicker than the 6.1 mm iPad Air 2 and 6.9 mm iPhone 6.

The internals of the iPad Pro remain unknown, but it is likely that Apple will end up using a slightly more powerful variant of its A9 chip inside the tablet. It will also be paired with 2GB RAM to better take advantage of the new split view multitasking feature being introduced in iOS 9. Reports have claimed that the tablet will ship with a lightning port, as well as a USB Type-C port. It may also include NFC, which would mean that it will support Apple Pay for mobile payments.

iPad mini 4

Take the iPad Air 2 and shrink it down to the size of the iPad mini, and voila! you have the iPad mini 4. Multiple reports and leaks have now claimed that the iPad mini 4 will feature a design language that will be similar to the iPad Air 2. The tablet will feature a shell that will be as thin (6.1mm) as the iPad Air 2, with the display being laminated to the glass for higher brightness and lower reflectivity.

Not much is known about the internals that will be found inside the iPad mini 4, but if a leak from March of this year is anything to by, Apple will end up using its A8 chipset inside its upcoming mini, rather than A9 that will power the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The 7.9-inch tablet will also gain support for faster Wi-Fi networks. Since the iPad mini 4 is confirmed to support the split view multitasking feature of iOS 9, which is only supported on the iPad Air 2, it is likely that the new iPad mini will come with 2GB RAM.

Check our iPad Pro and iPad mini 4 rumor roundup for all the details.

iOS 9 and Watch OS 2

Apple already unveiled iOS 9 and Watch OS 2 earlier this year at WWDC 2015 and has made the operating systems available to developers and beta testers. A final release date for the consumer version of the software should be announced next week as a side note during the event.

Wrap up

We expect the event flow to be very similar to previous events, where Tim Cook starts off the event by talking about iPhone numbers, calls up Phil Schiller to announce new products, who in turn calls Craig Federighi to talk about software specific features, if any, followed by a video featuring Jony Ive talking about the new hardware.

The event will be concluded by Tim Cook, who summarizes the day’s announcements and thank everyone for making it for the event.

We’ll be bringing live coverage of the event so don’t forget to join us at 10 am PT or 1 pm ET or 6 pm GMT on Wednesday, September 9th. You can check this post to find out what time Apple’s September 9 event will start in your timezone.

What would you like to see announced at the event? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.