Top Stories: iPhone 15 Event Date, Apple Watch and Mac Rumors, and More

[MacRumors]

If rumors are to believed, we're now exactly one month away from Apple's big September event where we're expecting to see several product announcements led by the iPhone 15 lineup.

In addition to iPhone 15 rumors, this week also saw fresh claims about the upcoming Apple Watch Series 9, while we're seeing more details about the M3 family of chips coming to next-generation Mac models. Apple should also be winding down work on iOS 17 ahead of a release next month, though the company is continuing to fix bugs and make tweaks, so be sure to read on below for all the details on this week's top stories!

Apple's iPhone 15 Event Likely to Be Held on September 12

Apple's annual iPhone event is pretty much always held in the first two weeks of September, but with just about a month to go it appears the exact date for 2023 is getting pinned down.

Initial reports indicated the event was likely to take place on either Tuesday, September 12, or Wednesday, September 13, but it looks like things are firming up for the September 12 date and we're once again expecting it to be a pre-recorded video even for in-person attendees.

Following the usual pattern, pre-orders for the new iPhones should begin a few days later on Friday, September 15, with a launch following a week later on September 22. It is possible, however, that some models may see tight initial supplies or slightly delayed launch dates depending on how early production is going.

Images of Alleged iPhone 15 USB-C Connector Parts Leak Online

The iPhone 15 lineup is all but confirmed to be switching from Lightning to USB-C, but this week saw some photographic evidence in the form of alleged USB-C ports from the various models.

This week also saw a claim that the Pro models will have storage options up to 2TB, while code included in tvOS 17 betas suggests Apple will continue this year's pattern of using a new A17 chip for the iPhone 15 Pro models while the regular iPhone 15 models use an A16 chip.

And finally, another rumor claims that A17 chip in the Pro models will be paired with 6GB of RAM as on iPhone 14 Pro models, despite other reports saying RAM will be bumped to 8GB this year.

Apple Watch Series 9 'Basically Unchanged' Other Than Performance Boost From S9 Chip

Alongside the iPhone 15 lineup, we're also expecting to see new Apple Watch models at the September event. Rumors suggest we'll be seeing a nice performance boost with a new S9 chip, but otherwise the Apple Watch Series 9 is said to be "basically unchanged."

One rumor suggests we may see a new band option alongside the Series 9, a woven fabric one with a magnetic buckle priced at $99 when purchased on its own.

Everything New in iOS 17 Beta 5

Apple seeded a fifth developer beta and third public beta of iOS 17 this week, alongside related beta updates such as macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10.

There were a number of tweaks in the latest iOS 17 beta, which we've rounded up in an article. We're also continuing our deeper dives into iOS 17 changes for various features, with our latest guides covering AirDrop, AirPlay, AirPods, and Siri and Spotlight.

Apple Testing M3 Max Chip With 16-Core CPU and 40-Core GPU

We're continuing to learn more about the upcoming M3 family of chips for the Mac, thanks to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman digging into third-party app developer logs... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: Top Stories: iPhone 15 Event Date, Apple Watch and Mac Rumors, and More

 

[vegetassj4]

What kind of roman numeral is IXIII? I don't think that is correct. XII perhaps?

 

[Sasha-1]

What I would like to see is a touch screen on the MacBook Air. I would also like to see an optional touch-screen keyboard on a MacBook Air. No physical keys, just pure touch. Two glass panels. One for the screen and one for the keyboard. I would like to keep the touch-pad though. Just a wide rectangular screen-based keyboard. I like the idea of changing the language the same way I do with the iPhone and iPad.

Even if the only real function on the touch screen is touched the existing prompt boxes of “okay” and “cancel” I still want a touch-screen. I am so used to this on the PC, Chromebook, and everything else. Only Apple still lacks this.

I’d like an update on the VR device. It’s interesting but at $3,499 I won’t be buying one. Though an Apple-Card purchase with 24 months and zero interest I suppose could make it easier for folks to buy one. Still, many of the functions they promoted I couldn’t care less for. I will not be using virtual screens for example. I’ll just use my Mac the way it is. There is no way I would sit in a table with goggles on and use the computer. I think they need to throw away a lot of that non-sense. I can’t speak for everyone but watching a movie is probably what I would do the most with it. And I’m paying $3,499 to watch movies. I can watch movies with my $499 Quest 2.

So I think they need a simple device that is affordable that allows the basic things people will want to do. I would love to play Minecraft in VR. That alone would sell it to me But not at $3,499.

As for the iPhone 15… I have the 14 Pro Max and I just bought it a few weeks ago even though I knew the 15 was due soon. Having the latest phone no longer appeals to me as it once did. I have a longer-term point of view now. An m3 Mac wouldn’t be enough to sway me. What I really want is that touch-based keyboard and a touch screen. Without at least one of those, my m1 Air is still fine for me. I need a bigger reason to buy again. A speed bump isn’’t going to do it for me.

I have the original m1 iPad Pro. Totally fine with it. Typing this post on it. I would like a better iPad OS Especially where having a Finder-like app is concerned. Files is getting better, albeit slowly. Needs to better and it needs to be less than a year for each minor bump. Everything feels so slow to me. I see new things, but all of it seems so minor that I don’t care. Feels like we get crumbs with each update. The last few events I didn’t even bother watching. I didn’t care to wait for the iPhone 15 and just bought the 14 for example. Why? USB C and smaller bezels??? Really??? I’ll try not to hold my breath. Wow, so existing.. Let me know when something real comes along. These minor things that get passed off as actually innovation are so boring to me now.

So VR for $3,499 is not interesting to me at all. A new Mac without a touch screen is not interesting to me at all. I couldn’t care less about thinner bezels and USB-C if that’s what passes as a major reason to buy.

Apple, you feel like Microsoft at least point. If you can show an iPhone 12, 13, 14 and 15 to people and ask them which is which and it’s not obvious…. Then innovation is truly dead. If I had to tell someone that this phone has a slightly thinner bezel, and USB-C, that wouldn’t be enough. And I know it comes with a new processor, 20% faster. More energy efficient…. But …. Again, I’d need a benchmark app to show it to me. Is Duolingo going to be so much better on the 15 vs the 14 that I notice it? No, not at all. Is the Mail app or the calendar app going to be so much better?? Nope. Ahh, but the camera is going to be so much better? Unlike everyone else it seems I am the only one who couldn’t care less. The camera is fine, and honestly, if you took a photo with the 12, the 13, the 14 and this new 15. You‘d have to put them side by side and even then I doubt I could tell them apart. I don’t see images on Instagram and think, wow, now that must have been taken on a iPhone 14. Good thing I have that phone.

I know, my view is not popular. But these events are no longer fun for me. Now I get it, if you are coming from a 12, then a new 15 might be desired. Upgrade every two to three cycles. That’s the idea and we want yearly updates. I can agree with all that. So for me, I guess I’ll get excited for the iPhone 17 since I have a 14. So this one, and the next one are just minor events for me.

 

[Davelfc]

One good thing to come from the similar style, small incremental improvements is that people could hold on to their phones a little longer. Not so good for Apple but good for your pocket and the environment.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Hard to believe but we are only one month away, (30 days) from today to be exact to see the new iPhone 15 lineup and Apple Watch Ultra 2. 😳

 

[abowlby]

Hard to believe but we are only one month away, (30 days) to be exact to see the new iPhone 15 line up and Apple Watch Ultra 2. 😳

How are you liking Watch Ultra so far, what improvements are you hoping to see on that front?

Also, I really…really want a periscope lens on an iPhone. Even 10X that is of useable/above average quality would be an excellent addition to the camera toolkit.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

How are you liking Watch Ultra so far, what improvements are you hoping to see on that front?

Also, I really…really want a periscope lens on an iPhone. Even 10X that is of useable/above average quality would be an excellent addition to the camera toolkit.

Love Apple Watch Ultra. Zero regrets! The screen brightness nits are amazing. The battery life is insane (you can easily get 3-4 days of battery life on a single charge. 0-100% 🔋) I love the industrial design of the watch. It is durable yet elegant.

This year I’m ready for Apple to introduce an updated Apple Watch Ultra 2. I’ll even be happy with the new black titanium edition. However, we are getting a new CPU so that's always good. Improvements in performance speed will be made. Battery life will be improved. Overall, a solid purchase!

Periscope camera in the iPhone Pro lineup will be amazing. Can't wait for it.

 

[Howyalikdemapls]

Any predictions if we’ll ever see an update for a classic/classy/dressy Apple Watch (i.e. a stainless steel non-rugged model)?

I’ve been holding out for years and am disappointed every year.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

What kind of roman numeral is IXIII? I don't think that is correct. XII perhaps?

I think it’s supposed to be IX and III, 9 and 3

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Could you imagine an 80 GPU core M3 Ultra 🤤

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

I already sold my OG AW Ultra last week with a merely 15% loss in value. Plus got 50% of my AppleCare+ back. Yay!

Can’t wait for the Ultra 2 Black Edition! Bring it on! 💫

 

[lewchenko]

If the only improvement to the s9 Watch is a slightly better CPU , then I’d consider picking up a discounted 8 or even 7 instead. So little improvements in the standard Apple Watch line last 3 iterations.
The ultra (& incoming refreshed ultra) is interesting but quite pricey. Not sure it can be justified (for me)

 

[Eldaerenth Faexidor]

Love Apple Watch Ultra. Zero regrets! The screen brightness nits are amazing. The battery life is insane (you can easily get 3-4 days of battery life on a single charge. 0-100% 🔋) I love the industrial design of the watch. It is durable yet elegant.

This year I’m ready for Apple to introduce an updated Apple Watch Ultra 2. I’ll even be happy with the new black titanium edition. However, we are getting a new CPU so that's always good. Improvements in performance speed will be made. Battery life will be improved. Overall, a solid purchase!

View attachment 2244940

Periscope camera in the iPhone Pro lineup will be amazing. Can't wait for it.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you stated. The screen brightness is insane and I’m in love with the current design. Quite elegant! 🤩

 

[ChrisA]

What kind of roman numeral is IXIII? I don't think that is correct. XII perhaps?

Here is my translation to Arabic numbers

12
9. 3
6

Kind of what you might expect on a watch face

 

[Realityck]

If rumors are to believed, we're now exactly one month away from Apple's big September event where we're expecting to see several product announcements led by the iPhone 15 lineup.

We'll believe it when we see some announcements not iPhone or Watch based. There is still products that we are anticipating from Apple. How's about a promotion iPad mini 7 for starters!

 

[ItsMeMicke]

iPhone 15 Pro for me, and perhaps a boring watch 9!

 

[Astrohunter]

Are photos done with iPhone still so overprocessed?
I hope it will improve with iP 15 or later iOS17 versions.

 

[ItsMeMicke]

Are photos done with iPhone still so overprocessed?
I hope it will improve with iP 15 or later iOS17 versions.

I hope they tweak it a bit. I will be shooting in pro raw, full control 😁

 

[docbop]

Everyone get all excited for a whole lot of nothing, minor updates at best. The event will finish and less than an hour later the posts "what's expected in 2024" will start.

 

[darthbane2k]

There just has to be something new with Apple Watch this year. There’s been little to no innovation for too long now.

 

[Astrohunter]

I hope they tweak it a bit. I will be shooting in pro raw, full control 😁

Pro Raw is still oversharpened.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

I'm wondering how big of a gap there will be between M2 and M3 in terms of speed and efficiency?

I beginning to think the gap will not be much bigger than going from M1 to M2. This will be interesting when the base M3 gets announced.

I think some people are going to be a little disappointed in their expectations?

 

[vegetassj4]

I think it’s supposed to be IX and III, 9 and 3

ahhh...perfect. just crammed together is all.

 

[DarthDon]

What I would like to see is a touch screen on the MacBook Air. I would also like to see an optional touch-screen keyboard on a MacBook Air. No physical keys, just pure touch. Two glass panels. One for the screen and one for the keyboard. I would like to keep the touch-pad though. Just a wide rectangular screen-based keyboard. I like the idea of changing the language the same way I do with the iPhone and iPad.

Even if the only real function on the touch screen is touched the existing prompt boxes of “okay” and “cancel” I still want a touch-screen. I am so used to this on the PC, Chromebook, and everything else. Only Apple still lacks this.

I’d like an update on the VR device. It’s interesting but at $3,499 I won’t be buying one. Though an Apple-Card purchase with 24 months and zero interest I suppose could make it easier for folks to buy one. Still, many of the functions they promoted I couldn’t care less for. I will not be using virtual screens for example. I’ll just use my Mac the way it is. There is no way I would sit in a table with goggles on and use the computer. I think they need to throw away a lot of that non-sense. I can’t speak for everyone but watching a movie is probably what I would do the most with it. And I’m paying $3,499 to watch movies. I can watch movies with my $499 Quest 2.

So I think they need a simple device that is affordable that allows the basic things people will want to do. I would love to play Minecraft in VR. That alone would sell it to me But not at $3,499.

As for the iPhone 15… I have the 14 Pro Max and I just bought it a few weeks ago even though I knew the 15 was due soon. Having the latest phone no longer appeals to me as it once did. I have a longer-term point of view now. An m3 Mac wouldn’t be enough to sway me. What I really want is that touch-based keyboard and a touch screen. Without at least one of those, my m1 Air is still fine for me. I need a bigger reason to buy again. A speed bump isn’’t going to do it for me.

I have the original m1 iPad Pro. Totally fine with it. Typing this post on it. I would like a better iPad OS Especially where having a Finder-like app is concerned. Files is getting better, albeit slowly. Needs to better and it needs to be less than a year for each minor bump. Everything feels so slow to me. I see new things, but all of it seems so minor that I don’t care. Feels like we get crumbs with each update. The last few events I didn’t even bother watching. I didn’t care to wait for the iPhone 15 and just bought the 14 for example. Why? USB C and smaller bezels??? Really??? I’ll try not to hold my breath. Wow, so existing.. Let me know when something real comes along. These minor things that get passed off as actually innovation are so boring to me now.

So VR for $3,499 is not interesting to me at all. A new Mac without a touch screen is not interesting to me at all. I couldn’t care less about thinner bezels and USB-C if that’s what passes as a major reason to buy.

Apple, you feel like Microsoft at least point. If you can show an iPhone 12, 13, 14 and 15 to people and ask them which is which and it’s not obvious…. Then innovation is truly dead. If I had to tell someone that this phone has a slightly thinner bezel, and USB-C, that wouldn’t be enough. And I know it comes with a new processor, 20% faster. More energy efficient…. But …. Again, I’d need a benchmark app to show it to me. Is Duolingo going to be so much better on the 15 vs the 14 that I notice it? No, not at all. Is the Mail app or the calendar app going to be so much better?? Nope. Ahh, but the camera is going to be so much better? Unlike everyone else it seems I am the only one who couldn’t care less. The camera is fine, and honestly, if you took a photo with the 12, the 13, the 14 and this new 15. You‘d have to put them side by side and even then I doubt I could tell them apart. I don’t see images on Instagram and think, wow, now that must have been taken on a iPhone 14. Good thing I have that phone.

I know, my view is not popular. But these events are no longer fun for me. Now I get it, if you are coming from a 12, then a new 15 might be desired. Upgrade every two to three cycles. That’s the idea and we want yearly updates. I can agree with all that. So for me, I guess I’ll get excited for the iPhone 17 since I have a 14. So this one, and the next one are just minor events for me.

I like your ideas. Lenovo did a notebook like that years ago. A cute and small one. But windows ended it, updates brought it to update and brake them up with no solution. Not working anymore - linux drivers for the keyboard far away...
The 15 pro max will be mine until 6G comes around. Tec steps are getting smaller and quasi no one actually uses the power of a iphone pro. So - upgrades will be much further. even 5 or 6 years. Since prices going over the roof, it makes more sense to buy a new phone much much later.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

Didn't apple use to have Wednesday presentations like many years ago? I wish this one was on Wednesday because I have an appointment on Tuesday. I'll be curious to see what they come with and what the costs are for the 15s. Still debating if it's worth upgrading from the 14+, but it really depends on what kind of trade value I can get for it. I'm more looking forward to IOS 17, which hopefully drops that day as well.