Apple’s September iPhone 6 Event – Our Predictions, and ‘Live’ Updates

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Michael Anderson asked a question on our back channel this morning about what we hoped to see with today’s Apple announcement at 10am PT. It’s fast approaching, and we all plan on watching together here. In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to post our predictions and see how many of them come true. We’ll also update the post with commentary and photos from the apple livestream. apple-logo   Mike A.:  My Apple Event – predictions, hopes and purchases.

I Predict: – 4.7″ iPhone exactly as rumored, with NFC, not waterproof. – No 5.5″ announced – iWatch teased with release November or later – New iPad with TouchID otherwise a snoozer

Hope: – iPhone centric – 4.7 AND 5.5 announced, both with water resistance (not proof) – 5.5″ has a true phablet experience as rumored, with iPad like interface in portrait mode. – New pricing structure keeps 128GB 5.5″ less than $100 off contract – iWatch is more than a me-too product … there was a lot of stuff at IFA – New iPad makes me eat my words about not buying one

Purchases? – If a 5.5″ comes out and isn’t TOO pricey I will buy it. Nothing else planned.

JoelI think the 4.7 and 5.5 are sure bets, and it will look similar to the leaked images but not 100 percent.  The iWatch is smoke. I think that it’s going to be another year before they have a watch. If it’s a watch. Why? Battery life. No watch has good enough battery life yet.  No rumblings of Apple TV this year so maybe that’s the longshot?

As for purchases…. 

My wife would like a new iPhone and my son would, too. Not sure how big they’d go. I think it will take seeing the 5.5 inch before they decide. My son is more likely for the 5.5 than Misty. 

As for myself? No iPhone, but if they announce an iPod Touch with decent specs(not likely), I may get that or a iPad Mini just so I can get a better handle on iOS for support reasons, not a daily driver with one exception: Amazon streaming. If a client for Amazon comes out for Android, then I’ll use that.

Dan: Here are my predictions:

  • 4.7″ and 5.5″ iPhones announced. 4.7″ available quite soon, with the 5.5″ late November.
  • NFC with a new payment approach that will be presented as something new and innovative.
  • Waterproof. Move away from 3.5mm headphones jack. 128GB for both… 5.5″ at a ridiculous premium.
  • iWatch announced but not available until just before CES. iPad air with bumped specs.
  • Nothing for mini or touch.
  • Something no one is expecting…. But I’m not sure what that is but something that will let Apple look like they are back in the innovative seat.
  • I’ll get the 4.7″ iPhone for case reviews and either Elana will take it or I’ll sell in three months.

Mike A.: Joel, the Amazon streaming thing surprised me … I am so used to streaming Amazon video on my iPad, iPhone, or Kindle Fire that when I looked for the app for the Galaxy Note 3 and it wasn’t there … ugh.

Joel: Heh heh. Rumor has it is that it’s coming, but I saw that rumor back in JUNE, and it still hasn’t happened. Nice wish, Dan Cohen, and to be honest it’s something they need. If this is just another spec bumped iPhone even WITH the bigger screens, then it’s not enough. A fingerprint reader was a good addition but not enough last year. IT DID sell well though, so they have that, but that will only get them so much. People not only have to buy the device but keep talking about it. Otherwise it risks turning into a blackberry or palm. 

As an Android guy I want Android to have a strong competitor. They DO for the moment still, but if it’s just playing it safe…well Android will take the risks it needs to get to number 1. (Android L is awesome)

Wayne: I think if Apple was not going to announce anything which was widely rumored and expected — they would have started managing the expectations by controlled leaks.

Joel: Hence the watch thing. The watch seems like the Apple branded TV was for the last 2 years. I just don’t see the watch happening.

Judie: I predict that everything which has been leaked will be announced, including the watch. There won’t be something else – unless you count the watch as the something else. 

I’ll buy the 5.5 for case reviews, but if it’s not waterproof, if it doesn’t have 128GB, and if the camera isn’t amazing, I’ll be selling it in 3 – 4 months.

DanThe thing is… all reports are that security has been greater here than in recent memory. So maybe… just maybe there will be a surprise. 
Really bummed I will be in meetings pretty much all the way through it.

Joel: Trying to finish up an install so I can watch while I write the report up for it!

Those are our predictions … we have just 30 minutes before the event starts. We’ll see if we are close, or if Apple throws us all a curve ball. Go get your popcorn, and we’ll see you back here in just a bit!

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12:03: I think that the Apple live feed must have blown up; first we have the TV truck feed for three minutes, and now it is the black screen of doom!

12:07: Had to switch to Endgadget’s Livestream, because the Apple feed is totally gone. Way to go, Apple! =P And there are two different sizes, and the leaks were right! Well!!!

12:09:

“I’m honored to be the one to tell you about the new iPhones. Their design is like nothing ever before. Incredibly unique. The glass front, the curves around the side, to meet seamlessly with the aluminum back.” – Phil Schiller

Retina Display HD, the next generation Retina displays.

12:12: And yes, the screens will be 4.7″ and 5.5″ big. Way to keep a lid on those leaks, Apple. =P

12:14: The larger iPhone will be called the Plus, and it will be 7.1mm, where the iPhone 6 will be 6.9mm. The Plus will come with double-paned landscape view.

Also watching the Verge’s Livestream.

12:17: There is a new chip, the Apple A8, which is a 64-bit chip.

Picture courtesy of The Verge 12:18: 20% faster processor, 50% faster graphics …better performance — full power without heat, and now game demos … 12:20: the iPhone is supposed to be up to “50% more energy-efficient, so you can have higher sustained performance” — sounce – Apple.com 12:24: 14 hours of 3G talk time for hte 6, and 24 for the Plus.

10 days standby for the 6, 16 for the Plus. 11 hours of video for the 6, 14 for the Plus. – Engadget

12:25: There is an M8 motion coprocessor that measures distance, elevation changes (like stairs), and a barometer. There will also be advanced wireless specs.

12:26: The LTE is better now. There are 20 LTE bands, which is insane. And it does “carrier aggregation” to maximize speed. – The Verge

12:28: New camera specs – 8 megapixel, true-tone flash, 1.5 micron pixels, and f/2.2 aperture

Courtesy of The Verge

And a next generation iSight sensor with “Focus Pixels” (?).

12:32: The iPhone 6 has “digital” image stabilization, but the 6 Plus has optical image stabilization. – The Verge

Picture courtesy of Engadget

… and I can’t help but think that the new iPhone 6s look just like the HTC One and the M8. Boo. =(

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Okay, so the camera should be spectacular. That’s great, though.

What’s next? … Waiting … Improved Face Detection ….

12:38: Oh hooray, the Apple stream is back. Silicone cases, meh. Leather cases. Meh.

iPhone 6 comes in Gold, silver, and space gray. The iPhone 6 will be $199, the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299, and they will ship on September 19. Preordering starts this Friday, September the 12th.

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Now we are talking about how to pay, which means NFC, right??

Well, it’s …

12:47: Apple Pay. Of course. “An entirely new payment process.”

So yes, Apple just invented NFC. 😉

Picture courtesy of The Verge

You’ll use the card  you already have associated with your Apple ID, and you can suspend payments through Find My iPhone. That’s cool.

Picture courtesy of The Verge

It will work with Amex, MasterCard and Visa. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique number … and your number is not stored on your phone. Whole Foods and McDonald’s will have it, so right there — Apple just nailed both ends of the spectrum, wouldn’t you say? 😛

Here comes the one more thing …

This has to be the watch. 😛 Are you ready??

AppleEvent_0468

Yes, it’s the Apple Watch. And there is even an 18K version … I wonder what that will cost, and how soon it will be obsolete. =/

Photo courtesy of th

The large crown on the side is the controller, pressing it takes you to the home screen, and it is made to be worn all day. You can pinch in and zoom out by using the crown — or you can use it to scroll.

It has a magsafe wireless inductive charger. Apple is calling it a watch, not a wearable.

There are two Apple Watch sizes; women and men with smaller wrists don’t have to suffer under a bulky big square watch! Straps look easy to swap out, too.

Of course, the iPhone will be required with the Apple Watch.

Well, it looks like every single thing I predicted happened — no surprises for me today! 😉

1:27: Still waiting on the price for the Apple Watch, though … I’ll post as soon as they mention it. We are still in the midst of the “Oh, I’ve got to have it, give it to meeeeeee” build up right now.

1:39: Watching videos on all of the health features of the Apple Watch now; I think the days of the stand-along heath trackers are done.

Great news — the Apple Watch will work with the iPhone 5, 5S, and 5C. It starts at $349, and it will be available in early 2015.

Surprise (not really) — Apple Pay will work with Apple Watch!

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And to make up for making everyone wait until 2015 (and missing the holiday gift market) for the Apple Watch, here is U2!

Screen Shot 2014-09-09 at 1.47.58 PM

Did you all enjoy Apple’s over the top dog and pony show? Will you be buying an Apple iPhone 6? An iPhone 6 Plus. or an Apple Watch?

Oh, by the way — Apple is going to put the U2 album “Songs of Innocence” on iTunes for free right now — go get it; it should be in your downloads folder, waiting.

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.

13 Comments on "Apple’s September iPhone 6 Event – Our Predictions, and ‘Live’ Updates"

  1. Yes, sadly the feed seems dead … and I was excited for a moment there 🙂

  2. I finally got the feed going….1080p in iPhone 6 Plus…not jazzed by that.

  3. So far nothing surprising. VoLTE should be expected NOT just on the iPhone but on all phones. Wifi calling isn’t new…but Dan will love that. These things aren’t NEW things…just new for them.

    I loved Schiller’s comments about the transistor count: That’s more. Really? That’s all you could say? Granted…most won’t understand it anyway.

  4. 128 GB iPhone…buh bye iPod classic.

  5. If half the NFC readers in these stores actually work within 6 months then Apple will have clobbered Google whose own Wallet app was largely unusable due to lack of WORKING NFC equipped terminals.

  6. I used NFC two years ago. It sucks. My current phone had it and my Nexus did too and while it’s cool…it doesn’t work. I MIGHT try it again now that a couple more places have it but it requires the phone to have reception and the ONE store it worked at took me 4 tries because my phone had zero reception at the register.

  7. Thankfully Apple isn’t introducing new streaming live event technology. Their live feed has left a LOT to be desired.

  8. Not digging the watch. It looks…well…cheap to me. Except the one with the metal band and even it doesn’t look as nice as I ever thought it would.

  9. OK, just catching up …
    – Love the iPhone 6 Plus – aside from waterproof, it really is everything I had hoped for.
    – But pricing … ugh, why do anything BUT 64GB? Talk about the new sweet spot!

    As for the Watch … LOVE IT! Comparing the Sport edition … well, nothing else comes close. But still watching the video …

  10. Couldn’t tell, but it looked like a dual- or four-LED heart-rate monitor on the back with charging, Still questions …
    – Cost (obviously_) but with the Wellograph at $349 and TIMEX Ironman 3G smartwatch at $399 … not expecting cheap!
    – Battery life. Rumors say it sucks. Interesting to see …

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