August is almost over, which hopefully means that summer is coming to an end soon, right? I mean, honestly, as someone who lives in Southern California, this heat is just too much — and it’s not just me! I know my colleagues across the pond and on the East Coast have also been feeling the heat lately.
But as summer starts to go away and fall starts to cool things down (pumpkin spice season, anyone?), it’s also time to get ready for some new iPhones and Apple Watches. This week, we have some exciting news as the next Apple iPhone event is just over the horizon.
Expect an iPhone 14 event around September 7
The biggest news this week came from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, who suggests that Apple’s iPhone 14 event could show up as early as Sept. 7. After all, Apple always holds its fall event in September (except for 2020, where it was in October because of a certain pandemic), so this isn’t exactly surprising. But I suppose it’s a little earlier than I was expecting — most of us were probably anticipating Sept. 12, though of course, nothing is set in stone just yet. However, this Sept. 7 that Gurman has thrown out seems to be from insider sources, and he has a decent track record, so we're going to roll with it for now.
What we shouldn’t expect is an in-person event. Recent reports have circulated that Apple has already begun recording segments for a pre-recorded virtual keynote, which has been the norm for the last few years. These pre-recorded events are actually quite nice though — there are no cringy moments like with the in-person keynotes, and we still have plenty of material to make new memes out of.
But since the last Apple event during WWDC did have some hands-on elements, perhaps that could be a possibility with the iPhone 14. Just don’t expect a live keynote announcement.
What to expect with iPhone 14 and new Apple Watches
Regardless of what day Apple’s fall event is, we’re definitely going to see the iPhone 14, which will no doubt be the best iPhone yet. The iPhone is pretty much Apple’s most popular and best-selling product, and despite certain uncertainties in the economy right now, it’s still selling very well, according to Apple’s last earnings call.
I’m eager to see what the iPhone 14 lineup has in store. From recent rumors, there will no longer be a mini size (RIP), and the standard iPhone 14 will get a larger, 6.7-inch version, possibly dubbed iPhone 14 “Max,” along with the 6.1-inch iPhone 14. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will still have their 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively.
While the next generation chip will be the A16, it seems that Apple will keep that newer and faster chip exclusive to the Pro devices and use the A15 in the standard devices. This might annoy some people, but I still think the A15 is a perfectly capable chip with great performance and speed. It's still better than whatever chip most people use in older phones. And with the whole computer chip supply shortage still going on, it just makes sense from a business perspective to keep the older chip.
If Apple goes with the rumored 48MP wide lens, in addition to the still 12MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses, it can be a real competitor against some current Android devices.
But as someone who has a big interest in mobile photography because of the iPhone, I’m most excited about the rumored camera upgrades for the iPhone 14 Pro line. Though I’m not thrilled about even bigger camera bumps, I think if Apple goes with the rumored 48MP wide lens, in addition to the still 12MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses, it can be a real competitor against some current Android devices. Apple has been on 12MP for the past several years, so having a bump in megapixels for the main camera is long overdue.
And since the Apple Watch still needs an iPhone to work, there’s no doubt that we’ll see the next generation of those next month as well. Don't expect a new design with the Apple Watch Series 8 (it should look just like the current Series 7), but rumors say we're getting some new women’s health features and new body temperature sensors.
However, a more rugged Apple Watch could be a possibility, with a larger display, rugged titanium casing, more fitness tracking features, and better battery life. And carrying the tail end could be an Apple Watch SE 2, which may just get a small performance bump with a faster chip while retaining the super affordable price tag.
Because the event may mostly focus on the iPhone and Apple Watch, we should also see the dates for the public releases of iOS 16 and watchOS 9. However, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura may be pushed back to October.
In other news...
In all honesty, this has been a rough week for me. Last weekend, I learned that a friend passed away suddenly in their sleep. While I wasn’t super close with them, I did hang out with this friend a few times, and they were one of the nicest and coolest people you could ever meet. From all of the tributes and stories I’ve seen others post on their Facebook page in the past week, he was simply an amazing, jovial soul who impacted so many different lives in positive ways.
Even though I only recently hung out with him by playing in a Star Wars RPG group last year, he was charismatic and had a way of just making everybody laugh. He even helped me out when my shy and introverted self couldn’t come up with a good solution to a situation because I thought my ideas were just stupid.
While my other friends and acquaintances were closer with him, I still thoroughly enjoyed his company. He just had a way of lifting up the spirits of everyone around him, no matter how down they may be. When I say he impacted everyone around him, I mean it — I just regret not getting to hang out with him more and knowing him as well as everyone else. Rest in peace, Nathan Schulz.
Take a moment to let your friends and family know how much they mean to you, and that you care. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone, so make the most of it right now.
- Christine Romero-Chan
