After the successful release of iOS 16 in beta, Apple’s next product launch event will take place on September 7th, the company announced in an invitation sent out to journalists today. At the show, Apple is expected to share details on the upcoming iPhone 14 series and new Apple Watches.
The invite, which has the tagline “Far out,” is for an in-person event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s Cupertino campus, which would be the company’s first big product launch event to take place in the theater since the start of the pandemic. (Apple hosted an in-person event for this year’s WWDC keynote, but it took place outdoors.) The company will also be streaming the September 7th event online.
The main attraction of the event is the iPhone 14 lineup. Apple is rumored to introduce four models: a 6.1-inch iPhone 14; a new 6.7-inch iPhone 14 (possibly with the “Plus” or “Max” tag); a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro; and a 6.7 iPhone 14 Pro Max. Yes, that means Apple likely won’t be releasing a new Mini phone, due to the low sales.
The biggest upgrades could come to the Pro line where we expect to see a change in the notch set up to a much less intrusive one that has a hole-punch selfie camera and a pill-shaped cutout for Face ID. Apple is also expected to be adding an always-on mode for the display that will be exclusive to the Pro phones — perhaps it will let you see iOS 16’s new lock screen widgets even when you click the screen off. And for the first time, Apple might make its next A-series chip a Pro-only option. As for cameras, the primary camera on the Pros is expected to get a major boost to a 48-megapixel sensor, and all four iPhone 14 models are rumored to have an autofocus-enabled front-facing camera.
The intriguing “Far out” tagline from the tweet below could be teasing a few other improvements. Maybe updates to the telephoto camera on its iPhones? And a short video tweeted by Apple’s SVP of marketing Greg Joswiak really leans into the stars motif, which could suggest the addition of an astrophotography feature.
Away from the iPhone 14, three new Apple Watches may debut at the event as well. The Apple Watch Series 8 is rumored to look like the Series 7 but adds a body temperature sensor just like Samsung’s latest Watch 5 series. The company is also rumored to be working on new AirPods Pro and iPads, so there’s always the possibility those could be revealed at this upcoming event.
