At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), held in San Jose, California in June this year, Apple’s big announcements were limited to software updates. These included the MacOS Mojave, iOS 12, and a newer version of Siri. The average Apple fan, however, is blasé about software updates. It’s the product launch that really excites them.
September is the most auspicious month of the year for Apple, especially when it comes to new launches. It’s around this time every year that the company unveils its biggest products. We witnessed the launch of the headlines-grabbing iPhone X and iPhone 8 last year in September. So now, speculations as to Apple’s latest September offerings have begun.
Next month, it’s likely that the company would be unveiling three new flagship iPhones, probably with the names iPhone XS and XS Plus. The features and design of the previously released handsets were laudable but one cannot overlook the fact that both the phones were pretty expensive, ranging from Rs 62,000 to Rs 1,07,000. But the coming variants are expected to be more affordable.
Apple is facing stiff competition this time around from rivals, particularly so in the smartphone segment in India. From Samsung’s recently released Galaxy Note9 to the mid-segment blockbusters like OnePlus 6 and Huawei Pro P20, the market is already packed with options. So Apple will have to work hard to woo buyers, and offer something unprecedented in design and performance
Rumours have it that a big price cut might also be on the cards. According to some sources, the upcoming Apple smartphones will boast a longer battery life and higher screen resolution as compared to their predecessors. Brand-new LCD and OLED displays are also likely.
According to a Forbes report, Apple is planning to make its next iPhone to be the first ever with a dual sim capability, which could be huge. Samsung has already set the bar pretty high with its latest flagship, the Galaxy Note9, which has great battery life and is a real looker. (It comes with a nifty accessory as well, the “S Pen”. Apple has to pull up its sleeves to re-establish its dominance in the market and maybe surprise its users with an Apple pencil or iPen of some sort.
Another big device likely to be launched in the coming weeks is the new MacBook Air, a laptop which has been around for ages without quite receiving the update it deserves.
One of the highlights of the new Air would be its high-resolution “retina display”, which means that a higher-pixel density machine would soon be available for Mac users at an affordable price. The new MacBook will also flaunt a wwthinner layer of bezel around the display, giving the laptop a more stylish look.
Moving on to the last device, Apple is also likely to unveil the Series 4 version of the Apple Watch. The notable feature in this gadget would be its screen size: it is rumoured that the brand is going to make the screen bigger this time, with a 15% larger display. But who would want a bulky smartwatch? When it comes to wearables, aren’t the most successful devices the most compact of them all?
Other than the screen, the new Apple Watch is not likely to get much of a boost in terms of the specs. Since the previous variants have been so successful, there is little room for improvement.