1TB iPhone, Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3 | Here’s Everything to Expect at Tomorrow’s Apple Event
Credit: Apple
With less than 24 hours to go before Apple takes the virtual stage at its California streaming event, more last-minute reports and clarifications have begun pouring in as to what we can expect to see unveiled tomorrow.
As with last fall’s events, Apple will be holding this one virtually again, which means there will be no in-person audience, but that will also allow Apple a great deal of additional flexibility when it comes to how it presents its new products.
Since most folks don’t get to attend in person anyway, the virtual events end up being much more entertaining and fun than simply watching Tim Cook and his colleagues wander around the stage of the Steve Jobs Theatre. Either way, though, the event will be live-streamed in much the same way that it has been for years, virtual or not.
It’s fair to say that we already have the big picture of what’s coming, as several leakers have shared their own predictions. Now, however, more reliable sources are weighing in to give us a more complete picture. Read on for the 3 things Apple will show off tomorrow — and when we can expect to get our hands on them.
The iPhone 13, with a 1TB option
Seeing Apple unveil its new iPhone 13 lineup tomorrow is about as certain as knowing that the sun is going to come up, and while we already know most of what’s coming, there have still been a few questions.
Chief among these is whether we’ll see a capacity increase. Rumours have gone back-and-forth for months on the seemingly mythic 1TB iPhone. Some analysts suggested Apple would drop the 1TB option to maintain its pricing, while others have more gently said the 1TB iPhone is definitely coming.
We’ve been strongly inclined to believe the latter, and even more so after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shared Apple’s plans for ProRes video recording on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, since that’s going to require a lot more storage to be a worthwhile feature.
Sadly, a leak last week from a Ukrainian e-commerce site cast some doubt on that, since even though it appeared to list every colour option available, there was no 1TB entry to be seen. However, it also omitted any references to a 256GB iPhone 13, which seemed dubious at best.
The good news, however, is that it looks like we will indeed see a 1TB storage capacity unveiled. A source no less reliable than Ming-Chi Kuo weighed in with a new investor report yesterday, not only confirming the 1TB iPhone 13 Pro, but adding that Apple will also be boosting storage capacities for the non-Pro models.
- iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
- iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
If Kuo’s information is correct, Apple will be offering four storage tiers for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, marking the first time Apple has ever simultaneously offered this many storage options for any given iPhone model. The iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and 2016 iPhone SE are the only other models that have ever been offered in more than three different storage configurations, but this was only because Apple chose to re-release different tiers later in the product cycle.
In effect, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini will move up a notch, while the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone Pro Max will have an extra 1TB model at the top-end. This would line up with previous reports that Apple was avoiding the 1TB model for pricing reasons, since it would allow the company to keep its pricing the same — rather than occupying the 512GB slot, the 1TB iPhone 13 Pro would add a fourth pricing tier on top the existing 128/256/512GB lineup.
The good news is that, unlike last year, all sources point to the entire iPhone 13 lineup being available this month, from the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini to the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max.
If Apple follows its previous trends, pre-orders will begin this Friday, September 17, with the new iPhones arriving in people’s hands by next Friday, September 24. That said, it’s also possible that Apple could surprise us, and have the iPhone 13 go on sale this Friday, with pre-orders right after the event, as it did with last year’s Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE.
The Apple Watch Series 7, On Time
Despite reports of production problems, Kuo has confirmed that the Apple Watch Series 7 is fully back on track, corroborating what’s also been reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
This means that we can not only expect to see the new Apple Watch Series 7 announced tomorrow, but it should be up for pre-order and initial sales on schedule — likely right alongside the entire iPhone 13 lineup.
According to Kuo, who reported last week that Apple had overcome its production issues with the new Apple Watch, the “impact on the release schedule and mass shipment schedule is not significant.” Kuo reports that Luxshare ICT, the main assembler of the new Apple Watch, is now “aggressively” ramping up additional production lines, although it’s not expected to be fully up to speed until the end of September.
This lines up with Gurman’s report last week that it may be hard to get your hands on an Apple Watch right away, but Kuo notes that the supply should improve “significantly from mid-to-late October.”
This means if you’re looking to pick up the new Apple Watch Series 7, you may want to be ready to go whenever pre-orders actually open — which could happen as early as tomorrow after the event — as demand is also expected to be much higher as a result of the incredible new design we’re expecting, which will feature squared-off edges more akin to the iPhone 12, plus a new laminated display that will be larger and more prominent.
AirPods 3 (But AirPods 2 Will Remain)
Kuo also weighs in on Apple’s plans for a new set of third-generation AirPods, adding the surprising twist that these could complement the current second-generation AirPods, rather than replacing them.
While it’s almost a sure thing that AirPods 3 are coming this month with a new design and likely wireless charging as a standard feature, it’s been harder to guess whether Apple will actually show them off at its event, or quietly slip them out via press release.
The last time Apple headphones got any stage time at all was back in 2016, when the very first AirPods made their debut. It was obvious why Apple would have wanted to show those off, yet the AirPods Pro, and even the premium AirPods Max were simply announced on Apple’s website.
Of course, that could also just be a matter of timing, and perhaps the fact that the AirPods 3 are ready will be enough for Apple to at least give them a passing mention. Kuo certainly seems to think so, as he’s told investors that they’ll be coming as part of tomorrow’s iPhone 13 event.
More significantly, however, Kuo reveals that Apple hasn’t stopped producing its second-generation AirPods, which means it obviously has no plans to discontinue the older models.
This means that the AirPods 3 will essentially become the higher-end model, although Kuo couldn’t offer any insight into whether that means that Apple will drop the price of the current AirPods or simply sell the AirPods 3 with a higher price tag.
Since wireless charging is expected to be standard on the new AirPods, one plausible scenario is for the current AirPods with the standard wired charging case to remain at the $159 price point, while the AirPods 3 take up the $199 slot.
Either way, the new third-generation AirPods are expected to offer a new in-ear design that’s more similar to the AirPods Pro, but without the replaceable ear tips, along with a new charging case design and likely Apple’s next-generation “H2” chip. They’ll possibly also feature slight improvements to battery life and sound quality, although they’re not gaining the more advanced AirPods Pro features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).