Looks like Apple’s ready to show us something new! Apple’s “By Invite Only” event in the Steve Jobs theater on September 10th at 10AM PDT (1PM EDT) will feature the reveal of the new iPhone 11 and successor to the iPhone XR (11R?). Apple will reveal the new iPhone, and will also likely discuss iPhone 11-specific features in iOS 13. They may also release Apple Arcade. Some rumors have pointed to updates to the iPad lineup as well as the MacBook Pro lineup. Apple’s fall event has been large and perhaps overcrowded lately, though in the past they’ve split their product releases up into a September and an October event.
Apple’s event invites always hide clues to what Apple’s going to release, so let’s break this down.
The New iPhone (11, 11R)
Render by Hasan Kaymak
Here’s what we think we know about the next iPhone. You can read more about this here, but the gist is simple: Apple’s upcoming iPhone is going to have a larger camera bump. For the 11, this will be to fit three cameras in it. For the 11R, for two cameras. On the 11, it’ll have a shape reminiscent of an app icon on the iPhone. We know this was coming. We also have heard that Apple’s glass backed iPhones will be more durable and feature a matte texture, so you won’t have to worry about fingerprints constantly.
However, the colors on the invite suggest something else. These aren’t the colors of the original Apple logo. Instead, it’s a new design with overlapping translucent pieces. There’s green, blue, yellow, red, and lavender. These will likely be the new colors for the iPhone 11R. The iPhone XR is already Apple’s most colorful recent iPhone, so it only makes sense that, if updated, it’ll retain those colors. This is Apple’s way of differentiating their black, white, and gold “high-end” iPhones with their “consumer” iPhones. Focusing on the colors of the low-end iPhone model would be interesting. It’s as though Apple’s admitting these are the more interesting iPhones.
And here’s what appear to be your next-generation iPhone XR colors (lavender purple and green instead of blue and coral) as @idanbo reported earlier this week: https://t.co/KQQ6JKmZg9 pic.twitter.com/7k3WZC2ZUi
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 14, 2019
A leak of broken glass earlier this year supposedly revealed these colors already. Though it seems to be missing red and blue from the Apple logo.
And The Rest!
A cryptic message. Apple’s events are always by invitation only. What’s new this time?
I never liked the “and the rest” intro to Gilligan’s Island. Regardless, we haven’t heard much about the iPad Pro or Apple Watch. Both could be updated at this event. Product filings in Russia have shown that Apple’s working on updated iPads, but we can assume that. There haven’t been clear rumors about what those updates would feature. Since Apple just updated the iPad Pro, the next update will likely be a small one. Perhaps a stronger unibody enclosure so it doesn’t bend itself?
We could also see the fabled 16″ MacBook Pro as well. And let’s not forget rumored AirPods 3, which could bring more features to Apple’s truly wireless earbuds. The biggest on the wish list are water resistance and active noise cancellation.
Apple’s event is less than two weeks away. The release of the iPhone will probably come one to two weeks after that. By this time next month, many people will have Apple’s newest iPhone in their hands.
Sources:
- Juli Clover, MacRumors
- Zac Hall, 9to5Mac
- Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider
- Chris Welch, The Verge