Apple has been rather busy these days. The company sent out a number of private invitations for a special launch event. The event, scheduled to be held on the 10th of September would take place at the Steve Jobs Theater at its Cupertino campus. Adding a pun to the invite, Apple says the event is by “innovation only”.
What exactly is Apple unveiling at this event?
Like last year’s event, there’s the new iPhone. Or rather, it’s iPhones as in plural. Akin to last year, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Naming schemes aside, the new devices also come with a bunch of updated features.
For example, the iPhone 11 which would replace the current iPhone XR adds a second telephoto lens on the rear. The phone will also come in new colors, namely green and purple. Next up, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max will succeed the iPhone XS and XS Max respectively. In terms of the Camera, these two devices too are rumored to get a third ultra-wide camera on the rear. This makes it the first time that Apple is going with a triple camera setup on the iPhone. The 11 Pro could also see a bump up in the display, going from a 5.8: display to a 6.1” one.
Another possibility is that the new iPhones could also support bidirectional charging. Akin to how Samsung and Huawei have reverse wireless charging, the new iPhones could charge the Apple AirPods when they’re used with the new wireless charging case.
In terms of the overall look of the new iPhones, they’re expected to be the same. As such they are likely to be a combination of glass and metal. The famous notch might make its appearance again as well. Apart from that, the new devices are also expected to be powered by Apple’s latest A13 chip. Upgrades to battery life and improvements to Face ID are rumored as well. Interestingly, the Pro models might not include 3D Touch. Rather, they might replace the pressure-sensitive display tech with the Haptic Touch seen on the iPhone XR.
What else is Apple planning to announce?
In addition to the new iPhones, Apple is also expected to make an announcement about the Apple Watch. Whether it’s an entirely new lineup of smartwatches, improvements to existing ones or accessories for Apple watches seems to be seen.
There’s also talk of an all-new 16” MacBook Pro, along with a new iPad and iPad Pro. But it remains to be seen if App would announce them at this event.
An announcement for iPhone users
One of the most interesting announcements, however, is not from the September event. While the announcement is from Apple, it relates to something that all smartphone users go through, which are repairs. Accordingly, Apple will now allow more independent repair shops to purchase genuine iPhone parts and tools. As such, these repair shops can offer the same repairs that a regular Apple Store would.
Until recently, independent repair shops had to become authorized service providers in order to get these genuine parts from Apple. But shops were reluctant to do so. Why? Because they had to pay Apple to be a part of the repair program. They would also be limited to carrying out only authorized repairs.
Under the new rule, most US repair shops should be able to buy parts from Apple. However, the repair technician will have to complete a free Apple training course. In addition, Apple will also sell the parts, tools, manuals and other materials at the same price they’re offered to authorized service providers. They’ll only be available in the US for now, but Apple says it’ll eventually be expanded to other countries.
The limitation is that the parts and tools are for what Apple calls “the most common out-of-warranty iPhone repairs.” So basically that means battery replacements and cracked screens. If it’s anything other than this, the show is still on their own.
In Sri Lanka too, while you can get your iPhone repaired at any number of phone shops in Colombo and suburbs, the quality of these parts is often not as good as the original. So it would be a welcome change to know that your iPhone is being repaired using genuine parts from Apple themselves. Now if only they weren’t so damn expensive.
Are you excited about Apple’s new products? Leave a comment below