What to expect from Apple’s ‘See You on the 7th’ Event

BY Kelly Hodgkins

Published 5 Sep 2016

Apple Sept 7 event

It’s official — Apple’s big iPhone 7 reveal is slated for Wednesday, September 7 in San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Center. The invites were sent out last week with the not-so-revealing caption, “See you on the 7th .” With a date now on the calendar, it’s time to stop worrying about “when” the event will be and begin to focus on “what” the event will be about. We’ve combed through the latest crop of rumors and have summarized below what we think Apple will choose to show us next week.

iPhone 7 in deep blue

iPhone 7

As it has done in the past, Apple will use its September event to focus on the next generation iPhones, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Rumors suggest the iPhone 7 will keep the same form factor of the existing iPhone 6 hardware with several key modifications under the hood to improve the performance of the handset. Expected changes in the hardware include a faster A10 processor, a higher capacity battery and repositioned antenna lines that’ll reduce cellular connectivity interference.

To make up for the same design, Apple will offer the new iPhones in two new different shades of black: glossy and dark. The new colors will replace the space gray offering from Apple, though a black iPhone is definitely going to please a lot of people.

Apple also may boost the water-proofing on the phone, bumping it up to an IPX7 rating that allows the phone to be submerged in  up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.  Other modifications include the removal of the headphone jack, the addition of a new home button with haptic feedback, a larger camera sensor with a wider aperture for low light photography and the addition of dual cameras to the photo centric iPhone 7 Plus model.

Read: iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Rumors: Everything We Know About Apple’s Upcoming iPhones

Apple Watch 2

The second generation Watch is expected to see several key improvements that address some of the shortcomings of the first generation Watch. The flagship features of the Apple Watch 2 likely will be GPS support  which will improve both fitness tracking and navigation, and better waterproofing so owners possibly can wear the Watch while swimming or showering. Other enhancements may include a faster processor  and greater battery capacity, which could be boosted by as much as 35 percent due to the inclusion of a 334 mAh battery. The sizing for the Watch 2 (38 and 42 mm) and the form factor is expected to stay the same as the current Apple Watch hardware.

Read: Apple Watch 2 Rumors: What to Expect

iOS 10

Apple typically releases new software along with its latest hardware and this September event should be no different. When the iPhone 7 launches, we expect it will ship with iOS 10 pre-installed. At the same time the iPhone 7 debuts, Apple will release a version of iOS 10 to the public for installation on older iPhone models. Apple already detailed iOS 10 at WWDC earlier this year, so we don’t expect the company to unveil any new major features during the September event. The company likely will summarize what was already presented in June, with a few new details on important aspects of the mobile operating system. The most important piece of information it will reveal will be the release date, which likely will be towards the end of September. If you want to learn more about iOS 10, we’ve created a handy cheat sheet that details many of the new features of iOS 10 for the iPhone.

iphone-ear-pods-pamphlet

Lightning EarPods and Wireless AirPods

One of the of the most significant changes that may debut in the iPhone 7 is the removal of the headphone port on the handset. If Apple does remove the 3.5mm jack from the bottom of the device, then it will have to rework the ear buds it ships with the phone. Instead of the typical 3.5mm headset, rumors suggest Apple may be working on a lightning version of its popular white ear buds that will be bundled with al new iPhone 7 handsets.  It’s also possible the company may release a wireless version of its ear buds, dubbed Air Pods, that will be available as an optional accessory.

iPad Pro

Apple is expected to release a second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but the exact date of its unveiling in unknown. Last year, Apple used its September event to unveil the iPad Pro tablet alongside the iPhone 6 and may choose to do the same thing again this year. It’s also possible Apple may use this event to focus on the iPhone 7 and likely will wait to show off the iPad at a separate event. In previous years, Apple has held an October event that detailed its iPad lineup.

MacBook Pro

Upgrades to the MacBook Pro are long overdue leading many to speculate Apple may use the September event to take the wraps off some new Mac hardware, but Apple guru Jim Dalrymple and others squashed that rumor before it could gain momentum. Writing at Loop Insight, Dalrymple points out that Apple likely will use its September event to focus on the iPhone and iPhone-related products. “If there is a distraction,” writes Dalrymple, “it would be for the release of iOS, which is complementary to the iPhone. Macs don’t fit in there at all.”

macOS Sierra

Similar to iOS 10, Apple officially unveiled its desktop operating system, macOS Sierra, during its Worldwide Developers’ Conference held earlier this year. Because this September event likely will focus on the iPhone and iOS, we do not expect Apple to release any new information about Sierra. These details likely will be revealed when the company refreshes its MacBook Pro or iMac line later this year.

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 7th. You can check our post to find out what time Apple’s September 9 event will start in your timezone.

➤  Apple’s iPhone 7 Event Start Time

➤ How to Watch iPhone 7 Launch Event Live

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