6 Things the Rumor Mill Got Right This Year
The dust has finally settled, and Apple has announced its new iPhone 15 lineup.
This new lineup was exciting, to say the least. We got a lot of cool new features we can't wait to try, but we also didn't get everything we expected.
As with every year, there were tons of rumors revolving around Apple's best-selling products, and unfortunately, not every rumor was real. Still, the rumor mill actually got quite a few things right. Read on for six Apple rumors that ended up coming true at this week's event.
Every iPhone Got the Dynamic Island
One of the biggest and longest-running rumors leading up to Apple's keynote was that the company would bring the Dynamic Island to all iPhone models.
Fortunately, for people who love the more affordable iPhones, this rumor was true. The Dynamic Island is a cool feature that turns the smaller notch at the top of your screen into an interactive widget.
You can use it to switch songs, start timers, answer phone calls, and so much more. Apple made this feature exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models last year, but now you can use it even with the base iPhone 15 models.
USB-C Is Finally Here
Another huge rumor for this year was the introduction of USB-C instead of a Lightning port. And fortunately for us, this is actually true as well.
Long gone are the days when you needed to carry two cables with you to charge your iPhone and your Mac. Now, you can use the same USB-C cable to charge pretty much all your devices, including your AirPods Pro (albeit you'll need to get a pair with a USB-C charging case).
What's more, you can now also connect your AirPods to your iPhone with the same USB-C cable, and your iPhone will start charging them. Granted, that's not as impressive as being able to reverse wirelessly charge your AirPods on the back of your iPhone, but it's still pretty cool.
Unfortunately, not everything is good news. The regular iPhone 15 models only support USB 2.0, which is not the fastest way to transfer files from your iPhone. This means you'll have transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which is the same as the Lightning port on the iPhone 14 and older models.
The iPhone 15 Pro models, on the other hand, support USB 3.1 Gen 2, which will let you transfer files with a speed of up to 10 Gbps.
That's not the fastest in the market, but it's still a welcome addition, and probably more than enough for most folks. The downside? You'll need to buy an extra cable that can handle these faster speeds.
Apple Is Using Titanium Now
Another rumor going around was that this year's iPhone would feature a titanium frame, which turned out to be completely true.
Apple changed the look and feel of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max by using a Grade 5 titanium alloy — the same one that's used in the Mars rover, which is pretty cool.
But besides looking really cool, this titanium finish actually makes the iPhone 15 Pro lineup lighter than before. In fact, these are the lightest iPhone Pro models Apple has ever made. Plus, it's a more sturdy phone now than ever.
Apple Launched a New Apple Watch Ultra
The iPhone wasn't the only product Apple revealed during the Wonderlust event; we also got a chance to see the new Apple Watch Series 9.
Further, the rumors were right, and Apple also revealed the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra.
Unfortunately, the rumors were also accurate when they said that Apple wouldn't make any big changes this year. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was, overall, a pretty minor update. It does come with the new S9 processor, which makes it the most powerful Apple Watch to date.
Not only that, but it also allows it to use a new feature called Double Tap. This feature lets you control your iPhone by pressing your thumb and index finger together, which is great if you're in a situation where you can only use one hand.
However, the biggest change specific to the Apple Watch Ultra is that it now reaches a brightness of 3,000 nits, making it the brightest Apple Watch and a must-have if you love being outdoors.
New Pink and Green Colors
Another small pair of rumors was that Apple would add new pink and light green colors to the new iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9.
If you love the color pink, you're in luck. This rumor was actually true, and now you can pick your iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and Apple Watch in a cool bright pink color that we don't see very often.
If you don't like pink, you can still get the base iPhone 15 models in four other colors, including blue, yellow, green, and black.
On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro models only come in four colors: Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. Granted, they are not as colorful as the cheaper iPhones, but they do look really cool.
The Silent Switch Is Gone (Sort Of)
Alongside all the new features, the iPhone 15 lineup was supposed to receive a new Action button instead of the Ring/Silent switch on the left side.
This rumor turned out to obe true, but not for every new iPhone model. Now, only the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are still rocking the Ring/Silent switch.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, have a brand new Action button. If you've heard that term before, it is because Apple added one to the Apple Watch Ultra last year.
Now, the higher-end iPhone models will feature an Action button that can do many different things. For instance, you can turn on your flashlight or trigger a shortcut. And yes, you can still use it to silence your iPhone.