Apple Event - 7th September 2016

DubDJ

Apple has just sent out invites to their September event, as rumoured it's happening on the 7th.

We'll almost definitely will see an updated iPhone (probably called 7) with removed headphone jack, tweaked iPhone 6 design, capacitive/3D touch home button and the usual specs and camera upgrades (it may be waterproof or already water resistant). The Plus model will supposedly get a few extras such as a dual camera.

The Apple Watch 2 is also highly likely to he unveiled. All I've seen so far is GPS support and faster internals, maybe a bigger battery. But very similar design to last year.

Looks like it'll be a smaller update cycle this year, the MacBook Pro redesign isn't expected until later in the year, so probably won't be shown next week.

maximum12

A couple of years ago these threads would be on fire with anticipation and speculation before an iPhone launch.

The network operator forums would have people screaming at the reps wanting a launch date.

No one is that bothered now as the pace of innovation in hardware is at a crawl.

I have a launch day iPhone 6 and had been upgrading every two years but won't bother this time as the rumoured 7 is effectively the same phone body.

GreatDefector

maximum12 wrote: »

A couple of years ago these threads would be on fire with anticipation and speculation before an iPhone launch.

The network operator forums would have people screaming at the reps wanting a launch date.

No one is that bothered now as the pace of innovation in hardware is at a crawl.

I have a launch day iPhone 6 and had been upgrading every two years but won't bother this time as the rumoured 7 is effectively the same phone body.

I had a launch day 6 plus and after the initial excitement of running to the courier depot, about an hour later I was bored! Was expecting something more

I now have a work provided SE and it's more than fine for me and I'm not paying €65 for 24 months for the privilege any more. The SE is a very fast decent iPhone. Downside is the smaller screen and no force touch but otherwise is fine. It's a 6s in an iPhone 5 body

If apple don't make 64gb the entry level storage (or 32gb, assuming they skip 32gb as they are now) then they're done for. Take a 4K video on your lovely dual camera 7 plus and watch your 16gb go up in smoke after 1 minute of video :pac:

IamMetaldave

I'm going to buy one outright. This paying mad money for 2 years is done with for me. My 6 has had a rough couple of years I definetely need the upgrade, just to get Touch ID back is enough of a reason.

DubDJ

I agree with the general consensus here. A few years back I would of been really anticipating the new iPhone. I've been on the two year cycle since the 4, having the 3GS for a few months before that.

The momentum behind these events doesn't seem to be anywhere close to what it used to be. It's not all down to the lackluster release though, the smartphone market is pretty mature at this stage, there's not a lot they can do. With the rumoured anniversary model being a huge overhaul next year it's probably why not much is being updated here.

For me, I've been stuck using a 5c the past few months so I'm in bad need of a new phone. I'll be getting the 7 unless there's a major catch or downside. If I was using the 6 or 6s I would find it harder to justify the upgrade. Looking at the rumours, there really isn't anything feature wise that the average person will notice. The headphone jack doesn't bother me at all, if it leads to water resistance I'll be happy. But other than the usual spec updates the rumours don't point to anything new here. I can't see any big surprises either. The Apple Watch refresh seems to be pretty minor too, there'll be a lot of unhappy Apple fans after next week I'd imagine, unless your following the rumour blogs and are prepared for the disappointing update.

mad muffin

I'm in the same boat. Launch 6 and I'm not getting the 7. Before the 6 I would get a new iPhone every year. The 6 is the first one I've kept for two years and definitely the first one I'll be keeping for three. It's just a pity it's got a dodgy mute switch that does to stay mute properly unless I wiggle it a bit, and then it still comes out of mute by itself

The 6s wasn't enough of an upgrade to warrant the change, and it's
Looking like the 7 won't be either.

Heisenberg1

I've had every edition of iPhone but in March I decided to sell the 6s and go with s7edge super phone but I don't like using android, so I'll be getting the iPhone 7 I really think Apple is missing a trick with phone sizes I can't see my self going back to the standard size I'll probably go the plus route.

chrislad

I just updated my 6 16gb to the 6S Plus 64gb (mainly for the storage space) so I'm good for a while. I am due an phone upgrade in May next year, so I'll at least hold off until then, if I even feel the need to upgrade after the event.

Masala

I would miss the headphone jack... I use Spotify all the time and so need to plug the phone into a aux in the car. Also - when out and about - I like to listen to music if I browsing the shops. To me - its VERY important. Much more so than 2 x cameras....really 2 cameras??????

mad muffin

Id like to add. That I'm not happy with Apple putting all the goodies into the plus iPhone. Not everyone wants a gigantasourus phone. The 4.7 inch screen is plenty big for me.

baby and crumble

I don't know the last time I used the headphone jack. Wireless speakers and headphones have been the best things I ever bought. I really only ever used wired headphones on a flight when you can't have Bluetooth on. I wouldn't miss it but I can't justify upgrading from a 6 to a 7 when I need a new laptop! I'm more interested as to what they may or may not announce in that line of products.

murpho999

Masala wrote: »

I would miss the headphone jack... I use Spotify all the time and so need to plug the phone into a aux in the car. Also - when out and about - I like to listen to music if I browsing the shops. To me - its VERY important. Much more so than 2 x cameras....really 2 cameras??????

Do you think that Apple won't provide a solution for this ,as your situation is very similar to millions of users?

The phone is bound to come with a 3.5mm adaptor that would go on your headphones so you can use them as normal.

Sad Professor

The lower expectations are a good thing and I think will lead to many people will be pleasantly surprised.

I'm expecting:

- Significantly superior battery life, probably the biggest jump in a iPhone model to date
- Significantly better camera
- 32GB at low end
- Wireless headphones

Many people will still complain that it looks the same, but if it has even 3 of the above, I think it will be more than enough to make 5sers and 6ers want to upgrade.

seamus

murpho999 wrote: »

Do you think that Apple won't provide a solution for this ,as your situation is very similar to millions of users?

The phone is bound to come with a 3.5mm adaptor that would go on your headphones so you can use them as normal.

There'll be a €50 splitter cable that lets you use a 3.5mm jack in the lightning port. Apple don't ship lucrative adapters with their devices.

Heisenberg1

Sad Professor wrote: »

The lower expectations are a good thing and I think will lead to many people will be pleasantly surprised.

I'm expecting:

- Significantly superior battery life, probably the biggest jump in a iPhone model to date
- Significantly better camera
- 32GB at low end
- Wireless headphones

Many people will still complain that it looks the same, but if it has even 3 of the above, I think it will be more than enough to make 5sers and 6ers want to upgrade.

Fast charging would be nice also very handy feature. I found the 6s battery to be pretty good for an iPhone but longer battery life is always welcome.

IamMetaldave

Few bits of info here lads.

AirPods and Apple Watch 2 notes.

https://9to5mac.com/2016/08/30/russian-trademark-filings-indicate-iphone-7-multiple-apple-watch-models-and-airpods-wireless-headphones-on-the-way/

whiterebel

I see Tim Cooke taking the stage, announcing that Apple can't bring out a new iPhone, because Ireland have screwed them out of €13 billion.......;)

IamMetaldave

Hilarious!!!

seamus

Wireless headphones seem like a pretty sure thing.

Not sure about the Apple Watch. It looks like a dead duck at this stage, but they might try and revamp interest by introducing more reasonable price points.

DubDJ

Or iPhone 7 will retail in Ireland for 1,759

Crazy tax bill but I'll imagine it will be tied up in courts and appeals for months to years. Even Ireland are supposedly appealing the decision, rather than accepting the 13b.

I honestly can't see any surprises with the iPhone this year. Leaks are just too solid, I know they'll make it sound amazing but I just don't see it being a big upgrade this year.

IamMetaldave

I've been holding out this year for the result of this launch. Either way I'm going to take the plunge and give it a go this year to and see how it works (or doesn't).

Zcott

seamus wrote: »

Wireless headphones seem like a pretty sure thing.

Not sure about the Apple Watch. It looks like a dead duck at this stage, but they might try and revamp interest by introducing more reasonable price points.

They'd be mad to remove the wired headphone jack and replace it with a different set of wires. I'd love to see wireless headphones in the box, but I suspect they'll be extra, similar to the pencil.

murpho999

seamus wrote: »

There'll be a €50 splitter cable that lets you use a 3.5mm jack in the lightning port. Apple don't ship lucrative adapters with their devices.

I think this is different as so many people use different headphones. They would only lose customers because of it, including their own ones who buy the Beats brand.

seamus

murpho999 wrote: »

I think this is different as so many people use different headphones. They would only lose customers because of it, including their own ones who buy the Beats brand.

I really don't think so. You could easily make the same argument when they removed the 30-pin dock; so many people with so many different peripherals that relied on the 30-pin dock. But they removed it anyway.

And being perfectly honest, the kind of people who are precious about their headphones are also the kind of people willing to spend money on an adaptor.

The vast majority of people will just use whatever earphones get bundled with the phone.

murpho999

seamus wrote: »

I really don't think so. You could easily make the same argument when they removed the 30-pin dock; so many people with so many different peripherals that relied on the 30-pin dock. But they removed it anyway.

And being perfectly honest, the kind of people who are precious about their headphones are also the kind of people willing to spend money on an adaptor.

The vast majority of people will just use whatever earphones get bundled with the phone.

I wonder. I think a headphone change affects millions more people that those who use peripherals.

Time shall tell.

Dublinstiofán

seamus wrote: »

There'll be a €50 splitter cable that lets you use a 3.5mm jack in the lightning port. Apple don't ship lucrative adapters with their devices.

They'll include an adaptor in the first (and possibly second) release so there isn't complete outrage. Then they will remove it in future similar to the iPhone 2G coming with a dock and this became an optional extra shortly after.

The Ayatolla

Where are all the "experts" saying the iPhone 7 wouldn't be here until 2017, and this would be a tick-tock-tock release.

Painful.

whatawaster

Masala wrote: »

I would miss the headphone jack... I use Spotify all the time and so need to plug the phone into a aux in the car. Also - when out and about - I like to listen to music if I browsing the shops. To me - its VERY important. Much more so than 2 x cameras....really 2 cameras??????

Bluetooth headphones

Masala

whatawaster wrote: »

Bluetooth headphones

Looks like thats the way to go..... I guess at my age I finding it hard to change!!! Old school and all that!!

godtabh

if the outside is the exact same as the iphone 6 i wont bother. I have the 6 plus. I think it would be hard to justify a change.

DubDJ

Surprised so many are put off by the same design, for me it's the lack of 'new' features that would keep me from upgrading. I just can't see anything this year feature wise as the big pull, all I've read really is the waterproofing. Even that won't swing people and it might not even be a reality.

I'd also be shocked if Apple include anything other than a lightning equipped pair of EarPods. It would be out of character for them to include wireless, as they would cost a lot more than the wired pair. Also, they will almost certainly not bundle in an adapted, they've never done it with the switch to lightning, USB-C or even dropping FireWire back in the day. I wouldn't expect them to this time either, especially with Bluetooth accessories so popular at this stage.

godtabh

water proofing would something I would be very interested in

IamMetaldave

The Space Black colour (if legit), Force Touch, internal upgrades (A10/Ram), Waterproofing. As I am on a 6 all of these are plenty of reasons for me to upgrade.

DubDJ

IamMetaldave wrote: »

The Space Black colour (if legit), Force Touch, internal upgrades (A10/Ram), Waterproofing. As I am on a 6 all of these are plenty of reasons for me to upgrade.

Most of these aren't things a normal user will notice or see any difference in. The usual speed increases are always expected. But compared to the 6s there isn't anything new that a user will notice and benefit from. There are probably a lot of changes but whether they're of actual use is another story.

New colours are nice but not something somebody will drop 750+ on, same with waterproofing. They are nice additions, but nothing that would encourage you to run out and buy a new phone for.

Anybody with an older phone than the 6 I could see upgrading, but even those on the typical two year cycle would think twice about this years iPhone.

murpho999

godtabh wrote: »

if the outside is the exact same as the iphone 6 i wont bother. I have the 6 plus. I think it would be hard to justify a change.

I actually don't get this.

So the most important thing for you as the outer look of a new model (which most cover in a case anyway), rather than new features and processing power?

godtabh

DubDJ wrote: »

Most of these aren't things a normal user will notice or see any difference in. The usual speed increases are always expected. But compared to the 6s there isn't anything new that a user will notice and benefit from. There are probably a lot of changes but whether they're of actual use is another story.

New colours are nice but not something somebody will drop 750+ on, same with waterproofing. They are nice additions, but nothing that would encourage you to run out and buy a new phone for.

Anybody with an older phone than the 6 I could see upgrading, but even those on the typical two year cycle would think twice about this years iPhone.

murpho999 wrote: »

I actually don't get this.

So the most important thing for you as the outer look of a new model (which most cover in a case anyway), rather than new features and processing power?

yes

davo2001

godtabh wrote: »

yes

Literally style over substance :rolleyes:

baby and crumble

For most standard users though, the small bump in specs expected this year won't be noticeable. So what if they want a nicer looking phone?

godtabh

davo2001 wrote: »

Literally style over substance :rolleyes:

How is it style over substance? The iPhone 6 is more than capable of doing what it does. The next iPhone will be the same. It will add some features I will use and ones no one will use but if its packaged the same way as the iPhone 6 what will be the draw?

murpho999

godtabh wrote: »

How is it style over substance? The iPhone 6 is more than capable of doing what it does. The next iPhone will be the same. It will add some features I will use and ones no one will use but if its packaged the same way as the iPhone 6 what will be the draw?

The new features, faster speeds and most importantly the better battery life.

The shape/look is secondary for me as they always look well and invariably it gets thrown into a cover.

Sad Professor

I might be wrong, but I reckon this may end up being one of the most well received iPhone releases among Apple users. Previous years have generally been hampered by excessive hype and expectations. But this year nobody is expecting much more than a 6se. It's a mistake to dismiss internal improvements. Nobody is going to scoff at better battery life or a better camera. The former is the biggest complaint about the iPhone and the latter is certainly its most used feature. Throw in twice the storage on the low end model and that's a significant saving for many users who don't need 64GB.

I'll also be very surprised and disappointed if wireless earphones are not included in the box. Generally speaking Apple don't abandon legacy technologies unless they have a replacement for it that allows them to paint the old technology as redundant. And as we've seen with mice and keyboards for the Mac, they have been keen to embrace wireless peripherals.

Anyway, I won't be upgrading my 6s either way. It's not even a year old. And I can't afford it.

murpho999

Do people want wireless headphones?

I lose enough of the corded ones, and I try to keep them connected to phone to prevent that. Wireless headphones just seem easier to lose.

IamMetaldave

Yeah, I think it'll be a nice change. I've been meaning to look into them for a while.

ucd.1985

maximum12 wrote: »

as the rumoured 7 is effectively the same phone body.

So you only upgrade when the phone looks different rather than what its capable of?

Sounds like you're only interested in upgrading when people can see you have the latest and greatest.

ucd.1985

mad muffin wrote: »

Looking like the 7 won't be either.

What are you basing this off?

Deadwards.com

Bluetooth headphones = not for use on flights (with most airlines). :eek:

baby and crumble

Deadwards.com wrote: »

Bluetooth headphones = not for use on flights (with most airlines). :eek:

That's the only real downside to them. I love mine, but I have bought over-ear ones that have optional wired functionality for planes and also when the battery runs out on long journeys (although mine last a full day in work with no problems at all).

seamus

murpho999 wrote: »

Do people want wireless headphones?

I lose enough of the corded ones, and I try to keep them connected to phone to prevent that. Wireless headphones just seem easier to lose.

Been using a bluetooth headset for 5/6 years now, definitely handy to not have a cable attached to the phone getting tugged on all the time. Especially running or cycling you can stick the device in any pocket or bag, no worrying about trying to route a cable to it.

Doylers

I have been using wireless in-ears every day now for a few months. There are still issues like if stuttering or if I hold the phone a certain way the audio will cut out. I must say I love how handy they are though, with no wires to be run up my shirt etc.

maximum12

Any wireless earbud recommendations ? What's the story with battery life ?

murpho999

maximum12 wrote: »

Any wireless earbud recommendations ? What's the story with battery life ?

Isn't it also an extra strain on the phone battery as well, which I find bad enough already.