Apple’s September Event will arrive shortly. As it unfolds we will share as much of the news and as many images as possible. We’ll add some commentary along the way, but we invite and encourage you to comment on this post once the news starts to roll in. To get the latest news starting at 1pm EST, just refresh your browser. 
Photo Credit via The Verge
The Event began with a welcome and a focus on the iTunes Festival. (I’ve watched a few concerts and they are pretty great!)
Apple Retail Update: Big moves outside the US. More stores. Enlarged stores. More designed-to-impress stores.
iOS 7 “Will quickly become the world’s most popular os” Next month Apple sells its 700 millionth iOS device. (I’ve been using iOS 7 since its first Beta. I didn’t love it at first but have quickly become a fan.)
New notification center. (Yeah!) New lock screen. (Nice.) Command Center. (Awesome!) Parallax effects. (yawn) (Moving quickly through the features… may mean lots of time on hardware.) 
Camera app and new filters… (BIG improvement in my experience.) iTunes Radio (Wasn’t all that excited but am using it a lot!) (iOS 7 will be jarring at first but the refinements are nice. It is not a HUGE leap forward.) Launching 18th for iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. Then rolling out to other devices.
iWork: Cook- iOS devices are content creators not just consumers…
All five are… FREE?!!!! (With any new iOS device!) No shipping preloaded but you will be asked if you want to download them for free when setting the device up.
iPhone: iPhone 5 is the best received iPhone yet. And being replace by two designs.
iPhone 5C: Made with all the technology of the iPhone 5 but brings color to the phone that was previously black or white. (Exactly what we expected.)
Green, white, blue, pink, yellow.
Single piece for back, sides, top and bottom. (Actually looks nice.) Custom cases available too.
(Meh… Apple really doesn’t do accessories all that well.)
4″ Retina display. A6 processor like iPhone 5. Same 8MP camera. Slightly bigger battery. BT 4.0. More LTE Bands. $99 for 16GB, $199 32GB with two year contracts. Cases are $29.
Construction: A single piece of polycarbonate with a steel frame that is also the antenna. (If the 5C is $99 or $199 on contract… what will the 5S be?????)
iPhone 5S: “perhaps the most forward thinking phone anyone has ever made.”
Available in Slate, Gold and Silver.
The LED is definitely bigger.
Performance: brand new A7 system-on-a-chip processor. 64-bit chip. First on a smartphone.
iOS 7 runs in 64-bit and new Apple apps do too. iPhone 5S is 56X faster.
Judie: Dan had to step out, so I am filling in now!
They are still going through the third-party app rundown: A new Infinity Blade, new Nike+ Move app … oh hello!
3G talk time: 10 hours. 10 Hours LTE browsing. 10hrs LTE browsing or WiFi browsing, and up to 250hrs standby.
There is now a new 5-element Apple-designed f/2.2 aperture lens, and a 15% larger active sensor area. “Our competitors would just cram more pixels on that to get a stab on the spec-sheet”
When you take a photo, it actually takes multiple photos and picks the best — and that includes balancing skin tones when you use the flash.
There are now two LEDs in the flash; one is cool and white, the other is warm and amber. There’s a new burst mode on the camera, auto image stabilization, slo-motion video (cool!), and it captures video at HD video at 720p at 120FPS.
The pictures they are showing are pretty impressive, but I am curious about low light photos; the Nokia Lumia series is the one to beat right now!
Annnnnd, as expected, there is the security of a fingerprint sensor build into the home button …
It will unlock your phone and it will keep you from having to reenter your Apple ID when you buy apps. The Touch ID Sensor is 170 microns thin, senses 500 ppi, scans your sub-epidermal skin layers, it can handle multiple fingerprints, and it works from multiple directions. And your fingerprint is “never available to other software.”
Are any of you nervous about it being uploaded to Apple’s servers or backed up to iCloud? Supposedly you don’t need to worry, but things like this don’t make me feel very secure. =P
How about these prices: 16GB is $199, 32GB is $299, and 64GB is $399.
Sadly, there is no 128GB model.
You can preorder both on September 13, and you can buy both on September 20th.
I try to always get white iPhones, so I’m not sure yet whether I will get the white with silver or the white with gold; maybe I will go gold just to try something different. =P
So as many of us have suspected — and as Mike pointed out below — the 5S includes evolutionary changes.
What about you? Are you excited about the 5C; do you see a 5S in your future? Or did the new iPhones fall short of what you had hoped for in the next new iPhone? Let us know!
My speculation? iPhone 5S evolutionary, iPhone 5C similar to current iP5, iTunes Radio and iOS 7 … but no new iPads or Apple TV.
I think you nailed it.
Mine: There will be disappointment from some of the most ardent Apple followers…not all but some.
And the one more thing is dead…
I’m interested in the fingerprint reader. Hopefully you’ll be able to unlock the phone that way, instead of sliding to unlock or entering a password. Too bad I’m on a budget.
Fingerprint Reader=Gimmick. Akin to Face unlocking on my Galaxy Nexus which was cool for 5 minutes…and frustrating 20 minutes later when I went from one room to another.
I am curious about it. My experience with fingerprint sensors has been mixed, but if Apple is including it then hopefully they nailed it.
Sent from my iPad
My thoughts exactly. If apple is implementing that, I’m sure they’ve gotten it to the point where it will have mass acceptance.
2 Designs….looks like iPhone 5s and 5c rumors are true…
Have to say – did not see them giving away iWork apps for free! That is a great move – Google Drive is amazingly easy and convenient and getting better all the time.
I hate how there are some surprises, but the devices are already old news by the time they are announced. Two devices … anyone surprised? I hope something spectacular is coming that we weren’t aware of … =P
Buhbye last gen as the cheap phone…
Agreed. More exciting without leaks!
Too many prior “spoiler alerts”. 😉 This might just be the ticket for me and my wife to upgrade to the latest iOS device. She’s got a Windows 7 phone and has been griping of late about not being able to download school software and such because it’s iOS/Android only. Will she bite???
I’m looking forward to the iWork if I do upgrade. I’ve been putting off buying them so the “free with new” will be a nice incentive.
That 5C case is great … if you are 13 years old. =P
I also see that as a Jobs-to-Cook thing. For Cook, an operations guy, he is more concerned about lining up the supply chain than sending in SWAT teams to some kid in San Francisco or sending a Chinese worker to the death camps …
Features and even the device names were leaked. Steve Jobs would have never allowed this — Tim Cook acts like it’s the cost of doing business. =P
That’s because the margins on swat teams are terrible these days. 🙂
Sent from my iPad
Unapoligetically plastic…..uh…no thank you I got enough of that from Samsung…
Well you ARE getting an A7….
It’s not even that! It’s keeping a lid on your product so that there can BE “one more thing”. =P
I’ve been saving an upgrade for it, so don’t get me wrong — of course I am buying one. 😉
No kidding!! Although I hope it is more like the Nokia Lumia series polycarbonate. If so, then it should be VERY nice. =)
It WILL be interesting to see how quickly the new OS is embraced given this is a major GUI upgrade along with the finger reader. But, WHERE’S MY SHINY GOLD IPHONE COLOR? 🙂 I do like the green iPhone color…that’s almost the shade of my office walls.
OK … I really don’t care so long as I can get an iPad with an A7 in the next couple of months … 😀
Well they say it’s 56X faster…
Not 56k faster? 😀 I’ve been itching to try faster LTE-type speeds on my smartphones.
I think we knew that, though! lol
Me, too!! haha
Yeah but I see the back getting all scratched up. Big time.
Yeah you being the gamer type would really want that chip!
Enough about the Infinity Blade info … I want more info on the phone! 😉 I definitely see the ring around the home button; I sure hope that the fingerprint reader is responsive and reliable! It’s about time biometrics moved into our phones; I liked mine on my old iPAQ 4600 (I think it was). 😉
I bet you go Gold…
If it’s the slicky, shiny texture, yes, but the only signs of wear on my Lumia was the sharp edges. The back was pristine, but had a very fine, granular texture (not smooth).
Motion Co-processor?
Like Carly said before, if Apple is putting it in one of their phones, I’m sure they’ve worked out the bugs enough for it to gain wide acceptance.
Bah it’s an accelerometer, gyro and compass….nothing new here….
Camera improvements should be nice. I use my iPhone for photography far more than I thought I would.
Yeah ,,, I think that is INSANELY cool … Magellan announced their new exercise watch, and basically it is a passive display paired to a smartphone. This sort of thing makes having a Garmin or Fitbit or whatever possibly superfluous. Depending on battery drain, of course.
But I *still* think the Nike Fuel is stupid … 🙂
Yeah but it’s stuff already in a lot of handsets…they are just taking advantage of it.
How come?
Would you prefer it came with a little card that said “sorry about the plastic?”
Sent from my iPad
The camera and processor are the big things in this update…
You would be surprised at how crappy those miniscule chips can be – for tracking in games as well as exercise stuff.
Oh – and the camera stuff looks cool
LOL!
Because it is a meaningless abstraction – like Microsoft Points. Tell me steps or calories or whatever, something real I can track and compare. As opposed to ‘Fuel’.
I guess I see your point, but “fuel” whatever it means, is an simple thing for the casual person to keep track of in trying to stay active. And I think that’s what it was designed to be. Plus, the fuel bands also keep track of calories and steps, not just fuel.
No – even the best phones have cheap little gyroscopes, accelerometers and compasses. This takes all of that and puts it under the control of a larger scale processor. So while you might be getting similar data, it is now independently streamed and processed. So it opens up new possibilities … we’ll have to see how it plays out.
Well, I’m at least glad to hear about it, given I’m an Infinity Blade geek. I thought when development stopped on Infinity Blade: Dungeons that the whole series was dead. (Which seemed weird, given that it had had major air time at Apple events . . .)
Well, my daughter is going to be *thrilled* to have a pink phone as an option; black and white are a little too–ahem–monochrome for her.
Sorry — I should have been more clear — it’s great that the phone is offered in colors, it’s the colored polka-dot cut-out cases they are selling that I think are cheesy. 😉
*Very* disappointed there wasn’t a memory bump to a 128GB model. I am *constantly* having to juggle apps and videos in and out to preserve space. Annoying!
Interesting that they keep the 4S but ditch the 5 … wonder if it a cost or branding thing? I assume branding – they have 3 distinct phones now with 4S, 5C and 5S.
It will be interesting to see the off-contact price for the 5C, as the complaints about price is related to off contract phones, which is how most of the rest of the world operates.
Oh I know, and it is so not a big deal. 🙂
I look at it this way – no other device uses it. Also, since we know that ‘a calorie is NOT a calorie’ … then what good is it for someone who is a walker to compare their fuel to a biker or a runner, when it is essentially like comparing 500 calories of fruit to 5000 calories of lean meat to 500 calories of Twinkies … 😀
I think they want a “free” phone on the docket, and they don’t want to discount the new phone that low, so they throw the 4S out there…making it a super cheap choice that few will make, but the illusion of options is there.
Sent from my iPad
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these colors will be a huge hit.
I was kinda hoping for a new iPad mini with a Retina screen. Looks like not until April. Bummer.
5C (in pink) for Maggie; 5S with Infinity Blade III in “slate” for me. No question. 🙂
Definitely agree.
Thinking of off-contract pricing, assuming 16GB 5S is $649, will 16GB 5C be $499 and 8GB 4S be $349? Because that would actually be really attractive. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were higher.
Just looked, and it is $649, $549 and $450. Too high for the 4S, IMO.
I would say October. They want to keep them separate, but no new iPads for the holidays would be retail suicide … and again, Cook is an ops guy and knows that stuff.
I use the Nike Fuel bracelet, and I have to agree with Mike on this. The Fuel points are a bit silly — like they were saying steps weren’t a good enough indication of movement — we need to go create our OWN proprietary method! Wait … who does that sound like?
But the good news is that while you can use the fuel measurement, you can also flip over and check your steps on the bracelet — which is what I usually wind up doing. 😉
But that’s also why it is always odd to me when on some days my fuel goal has been met (I set it at 3K), but I might not have even done 5K steps. Or when my steps goal has been met (10K), but my fuel is still under 3K. :eyeroll:
Exactly. I think *that* was a smart move. =)
I’d say October. =)
Absolutely … Dear Apple. Here is my credit card #. When you have a new iPad, the large one, with A7 chip … please ship me one with 64GB and LTE. Don’t care if it is white, black or magenta … 🙂
$549 for the 5C? So much for low cost.
Sent from my thumbs
I am assuming there is enough margin that they are selling for a high premium in places like the US to subsidize making it cheaper in emerging markets.
Overall … not much:
– Hey, that OS we told you about a few months ago? Still coming soon!
– We tweaked the iPhone 5 and gave it cheaper casing and are calling it ‘new’.
– And an ACTUAL new product.
– A chance for Elvis Costello to promote his new album for a bit while reminding you that these events used to be about music.
And that is it.
If that is the scope of things they should really have them 3-4 times per year.
No NFC??? Really???
That or they are going back to the pro/consumer breakdowns: 5S for power users, 5C for casual ones, and if you want an iPhone you pay up either way.
Sent from my thumbs
Now the question is … will NFC actually catch on? Or will this basically kill it? Unclear, but also unfortunate. Either way it causes a huge impact on the potential and timing – because I estimate NFC sells approximately ZERO phones, but if it was there on all of the biggies it would make a huge deal.
They specified a glossy hardcoat–repeatedly–so Scratch City here we come!
Meh, put on some packing tape along the back. If you’re wanting a bit more style, use duct tape.
At this point, it’s probably going to need Google’s help to succeed in the United States and Europe. No push needed in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, of course; it’s already alive and well over there–and spreading to the mainland.
The 64-bit CPU is going to play well on the tech-clueless news reports (and USA Today, but I repeat myself…), but unless they’re packing in 4 GB of RAM into the phone there’s no point.
I find it pretty interesting that there are going to be pre-orders for the 5c but not the 5s. I wonder if that says anything about how many 5s they expect to sell.
2 designs, 76 variants. apple.com/iphone/LTE Geez Louise…
LOL…
You know how many times I used the NFC on my Galaxy Nexus or on my Nexus 7? Exactly twice….to play with sending web pages from my phone to tablet and that’s it. Then I said: It’s just easier to access it via Chrome.
Oh there are ALL SORTS of cool stuff to do with NFC but I don’t have the danged time for it.
Absolutely. Some are saying…oo more bits = faster. Um…no.
As we have come to expect with an “S” update.