Apple on Monday sent select members of the media invites to its September 7th shindig, where the Cupertino firm is expected to unveil its new “iPhone 7,” and “iPhone 7 Plus” flagship handsets. The event is set for Wednesday, September 7 at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco at 10AM Pacific Time (1PM Eastern Time).
While it is easy to read various notions into Apple’s event invites, the accent on the number seven indicates Apple will name its upcoming handsets with a “7” moniker, even they are expected to be merely incremental updates to the current iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus handsets.
The new iPhones are expected to feature improved cameras, (with a dual-lens back-facing shooter on the “Plus,” model), a redesigned antenna band, faster processors, and possibly more RAM, and the most controversial change: the removal of the headphone jack in favor of headphones that will use either the Lightning port, or Bluetooth connections. Apple is also rumored to be dropping the entry level 16GB model in favor of a 32GB tier.
The “Apple Watch 2” is also expected to make an appearance at the event, boasting an improved battery, faster processor, and built-in GPS. While an improved screen could be included, the new device is widely expected to closely resemble the current model.
Also expected by some parties, (hope against hope), are new MacBook Pro models. The current design hasn’t seen a major refresh in years, so it is definitely due for one. Rumors indicate a thinner MBPro, boasting USB-C ports, a top row of dynamic OLED function keys, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and the usual processor and GPU upgrades. The new MacBooks may actually see a debut later this fall.
The September 7th Apple event kicks off at 10AM Pacific Time, and we’ll be liveblogging the happenings as they happen, and supplying the details of what gets unveiled after the event, so stay tuned…
