As we hurtle towards September, I’m being asked more and more about what to expect from Apple with regards the new iPhone. To save having to answer all of those quires individually, here’s a handy guide to see you though till launch week.
Release Date
In January I predicted that Apple would announce the new iPhone on the 9th of September and have it in stores on the 19th. At this point in time, there’s nothing to suggest that this is wrong but there’s nothing to officially confirm it. Expect the invitations to the announcement on or around the 1st of September and if I get one, I may explode.
Devices
So with the dates covered, what can we expect from the device or should we say devices? Last year, Apple took the uncharacteristic move and launched two iPhones. The 5s and the 5c. Lowering the entry point for the iOS family with the 5c, Apple were able to maintain momentum with premium devices with the 5s without impacting on margins.
So what can we expect this year? Well, I would guess 2 iPhone and 3 models. Firstly, the iPhone 5c isn’t going to die. Many say Apple are not selling many but here in the UK they are becoming common place due to the fact that they are free on most contracts. Apple still sell a handset and importantly, get another user in to their ecosystem to make more money from in the future. With this in mind I would suggest the following devices:
The iPhone C
- Same physical design as the 5c, all be it slightly thinner (maybe)
- New / More colour options
- 4″ Retina display (as is)
- A7 64-bit processor (same as previous year’s top handset)
- The camera from the 5s (same as previous year’s top handset)
- 16/32GB Memory options
- NFC (Near Field Communication) for contact less payments
The iPhone 6
- Two models – one with a 4.7″ screen and one with a 5.5″ screen
- The screen will have a raised ‘3D’ edge that will smooth the edges of the device and make larger sizes easer to hold
- New A8 processor
- 32/64/128GB Memory Options – 128GB may be kept for the 5.5″ version
- Larger batteries to make up for larger screens and ‘wall huger’ jibes
- Sapphire Display on higher capacity versions
- Improved camera – Optical Image Stabilisation may be kept for the 5.5″ version
- NFC (Near Field Communication) for contact less payments
- Three colour options
- Improved Touch ID
- Always on Microphone for ‘Hey Siri’ functionality
- Added magic we know nothing about
There we have it. That is basically, everything that can be found on other sites at this stage of development of the biggest Smartphone release of the year. Also in this iPhone event will come the formal release of iOS 8 and more details on the new iCloud storage levels for paying customers.
Cut-out and keep
As for the arts and crafts section of this article. With Apple due to release two new sizes of iPhone, it’s hard to approximate just how big they will be. That’s where these images comes in:
These A4 sheets have 3 sizes of Apple devices that should give a good idea of how big the new screen sizes will make iPhones.
Print it out (without clicking ‘scale to fit’) and cut out the iPhones and see which will be best for you. Want to get an idea of how deep they are? Take a set of post-it notes and remove enough to get it down to about 6mm thick and you’ll be about as right as we can logically workout from the leaks so far.
With that said, all of this information is base on leaks and gossip in the technology industry. There is only one part of this that can be confirmed as 100% true: This year, Apple will release a new iPhone.
We’ll find out in about 3 weeks!
[UPDATE]
Here’s some I made!