We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Updated at 6:05am
LATER THIS EVENING, Apple will hold one of the biggest events this year and it could be one of the most important ones in a while.
A larger venue suggests a bigger event but while the iPhone S range will be a refinement of what came before it, the spotlight will be placed on some of its other products.
When is the event happening and how can I watch it?
It’s taking place at 6pm (Irish time) in the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, a 7,000 seater venue. The event will be livestreamed on Apple’s site, but with one exception, you will need an Apple product to view it:
- An iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with Safari on iOS 7 or later.
- A Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later running on OS X v10.8.5 (Mountain Lion) or later.
- A 2nd or 3rd-Gen Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.
- A PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.
What type of iPhones will be launched?
The expectation is it the type of devices offered will be similar to last year offering: a 4.7-inch iPhone 6S and a 5.5-inch Plus version.
There were rumours that a third phone, a budget iPhone 6C, would be introduced but this looks unlikely. Instead, it’s expected the iPhone 5C will be discontinued soon after the new iPhones are announced.
This is the standard part of the event and will likely be the first item out of the way. A similar thing happened last year where the main event was the announcement of Apple Pay and Apple Watch, two products that are still finding their feet at the moment.
What improvements are expected to be made to the iPhone?
To start, a vastly improved camera is the one thing people seem to agree on. The iPhone 6 has a 8-megapixel camera and can record 1080p footage, but the 6S will bump this up to 12-megapixels and allow 4K HD recording.
There are also rumours that it will also allow panoramic shots and slow-motion 720p recording, something iOS 9 Beta alludes to with its configuration files.
The other serious upgrade is said to be Force Touch, a feature which senses how hard you press on the screen and carries out a different action, and haptic feedback, which gives you the impression you’ve pressed down on a physical button.
It would act like a right-click for your phone, allowing for extra shortcuts and help reduce clutter on the screen.
This rumour has been around since the summer, and since both its smartwatch and new Macbook have the same capabilities, it’s not crazy to assume the same thing will be included here as well.
One potential drawback could be Apple’s decision to stick to 16GB, 64GB and 128GB options.
The latter shouldn’t be as bad as previous editions as iOS 9, which will be included on the new devices, has a number of methods to reduce the amount of space apps take up. Even the update to iOS 9 has been reduced to 1.3GB compared to iOS 8′s 4.58GB.
Still, that’s not going to be the main showcase as it’s likely Apple TV will be the centre piece.
Why would that be?
A couple of reasons. For one, it’s expected to be a jump from previous versions, more expensive (some of the prices suggested range around the $150/€150 mark) but with more features.
It’s still a set-top box but will come with updated software and hardware. Siri, Apple’s personal assistant, will be included and ‘Universal search’ will allow you to search for TV shows across apps without having to visit them.
The device will finally embrace third-party apps and will get its own dedicated app store and will be available with 8GB and 16GB of storage.
The other area that Apple will be properly moving into will be gaming, which will be used as a main selling point.
It’s suggested that the remote will double up as a games controller as well, and will likely start off by bringing games from iPhone and iPad to the bigger screen.
The aim isn’t those who already own a PS4, Xbox One or Wii U but casual users who are unable to dedicate time to the bigger games.
It’s not clear whether Apple TV will have its own dedicated games or not upon launch, but it already a vast collection of games on the App Store so bringing them to the TV screen might not be a bad idea.
App Store Games / TwitterTap. Tap. Hello, world. pic.twitter.com/zp9yT0PLpF
— App Store Games (@AppStoreGames) September 3, 2015
Are there any other products that could be announced?
There’s an outside chance that a pro version of the iPad will be announced, although it seems like the end of the year is a more realistic date.
The iPad Pro is said to be a 12.9-inch display, similar to many laptops, and will included 64GB of storage space as minimum. The split-screen mode on iOS 9 will allow both apps displayed to operate in full screen instead of a condensed version
While it will run on iOS 9, it looks like it will be positioning itself closer to Microsoft’s Surface series, although a keyboard and stylus will be sold separately.
It’s more likely that Apple will hold a separate event for both this iPad and for its Mac range, similar to what it did with the iPad Air 2 last October.
What else will be announced at the event?
iOS 9, which was first revealed at WWDC in June, will be shown here since all new iPhones mark the arrival of a new iOS version as well as watchOS 2. Both will have a recap of what to expect when they arrive later this month.
Other products that will likely be touched upon will be HomeKit, Apple’s venture into smart objects, HealthKit, ResearchKit, CarPlay, Apple Pay and Apple Music. If they’re not covered, they’ll be at least mentioned in passing.
And finally, will U2 be making an appearance again?
They’re playing in Amsterdam tonight so no.
Originally published 31/8/2015
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
You’d actually miss Steve Jobs floating around the place, there’s a lot of charisma gone from the company. The man made a bug look like a feature.
I really like Craig Federighi, he’s a very different vibe to Jobs but his sections have been the highlight of the past few keynotes.
Yup, just what we need. More vacuous crap to excite the cult.
Ahh Jake, was wondering when you’d get here. Excited to see what Samsung will be releasing in 6 months?
It looks this article was initially posted a week or two ago but we now know for certain that the iPad Pro is being announced tonight. 12.9 inch display and much faster processor. And I agree David, Federighi has developed into a really smooth presenter.
@David, we already know what Samsung will announce, another android device giving people the ability to tailor their user experience to their wants in a great value piece of tech, often with groundbreaking invention.
I’ll say it now, the Samsung tab I received as a gift over a year and a half ago (costing my gf 220 quid) remains the most impressive tech device I have ever had for such a small price tag. I use it for 2 hours most evenings, charging it every 4/5 days. The screen is excellent, the processor fast. I’ve bounced it on tiles, carpet and wooden floors and though the back shows a thousand scratches the experience is unchanged.
There’s a difference between build quality and the feel of build quality. I feel Apple hits the latter.
an sd card slot, increased battery life, ah here get a grip on yourself!!!
Did anyone tell iPhone Joan about this
She’s sending some undercover gardai…
Technology wankfest.
There’ll be an announcement that the thing they announced as the GREATEST iTHING IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE a few months ago is now an outdated peice of rubbish that everyone will laught at you over. But you can avoid that laughter by paying even more money for the new GREATEST iTHING IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE. Pay someone to start queueing now!!
iDrones… so predictable
Rose gold is auspicious to the Chinese hence the watch colour.. Pure marketing ploy..
Belfast it is :)
Or parcel motel :)
A massive circle jerk
Did you not get your invitation?
what’s the point !!
Animated backgrounds and motion sensor remote. Give us micro sd slots in phones and a browser for Apple TV
SD slot will never happen when they can get a monthly fee for iCloud.
Sigh.
When you think about it, both those things would be more of a hindrance than a help.
No matter what platform you use, cloud storage is the way forward, and using your TV to browse the Internet, is that really a good way to work?
Just a hyped up outdated product announcements which are based on proprietary outdated technology and too expensive. good marketing job though.
Yeah, big swingin’ Mickey !
Please, please let it be a iPod wheel in-place of a keyboard
You people are crazy if you don’t think that would be greatest invention of the 21st Century
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
My phone is better than your phone woooo me! I am winning! Im going to make you feel inadequate about your phone because my phone has some particular features I use that you dont need. Whats that you have? An iPhone? Seriously? You know Samsungs are better right? OH MY GAWWWWW
Since when is a pic with windows 10 an apple product ?
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say