Top 5 bits of wild speculation about Apple’s secret projects
“Wish we could say more,” Apple teased Thursday on the invitations to their special September event.
The company is widely expected to announce a new iPhone – probably called the iPhone 6 – at their Sept. 9 event in Cupertino, Calif. It also seems likely they’ll talk about their new, wearable gadget called the iWatch.
But as iChristmas approaches, the presents remain tightly wrapped under the closely guarded Apple tree – meaning the only details we have to go on right now are unconfirmed leaks, rumours and wild speculation.
For those who can’t wait for the official reveal, here are the best guesses for what to expect.
Double the iFun
Apple is expected to debut two different sizes of phone at the event. According to MacRumors, the company will be releasing one model with a 4.7-inch screen, as well as a larger version with a 5.5-inch screen, measured across the diagonal.
The website says the smaller model will be launched in September soon after the event, with its larger counterpart to be released at a later date.
Bigger, rounder, thinner
The smartphone trend has been moving toward larger screens over the past year, and Apple is expected to jump on the bandwagon. Both new phones will be larger than the current iPhone 5, according to what appear to be leaked specs from Apple’s Foxconn factory.
The purported screen shots show the smaller phone to be 138 mm long, 66 mm wide and 6.9 mm thick – compare that to the current iPhone 5s at 124 mm long, 59 mm wide and 9 mm thick. The larger iPhone 6 could be even more imposing – the schematics show it to be 158 mm long, 78 mm wide and 7.1 mm thick.
The design also seems to suggest round edges will be the new look, in contrast to the last generation’s flat sides. One artist has made mock-up advertisements detailing the look of what the new phone might look like in three dimensions.
And to add something close to credibility to these claims, Taiwanese pop star Jimmy Lin – who has apparently leaked accurate pictures of Apple products in the past -- has posted images of what he claims to be an iPhone 6.
Protruding camera
The same specs that reveal the size of the hardware also seem to suggest the camera piece on the back might stick out almost a millimetre from the back of the phone. All previous generations of iPhones had the camera fit flat with the rest of the case – though previous generations were never as thin as the new phone will likely be.
A slightly raised camera piece may be the price to pay for an extra-slim phone – but the inconvenient bump could be easily shrugged off if the rumour that it comes with a 13-megapixal sensor holds true.
Health-conscious headphones?
According to an anonymous post on the secret-sharing app “Secret,” Apple’s new “EarPods” will be able to measure your heart rate and blood pressure. The post also claims the headphones will contain a beacon feature to track them when they’re misplaced.
The author, according to what they’d written, was supposed to be a disgruntled Apple employee who was let go from the company – but further digging also reveals a confession that the post was a complete hoax.
Your new phone probably won’t come with a blood pressure monitor – although to complicate things, Apple has also been rumoured to have hired someone who works on “wearable vital signs monitors.”
Still, the ordeal is a good reminder that any leaked information or rumour could prove to be completely untrue.
You’ll no longer need a phone to check the time
Apart from the iPhone 6 and the hurricane of half-truths surrounding it, Apple is also expected to be revealing a new piece of hardware – a wristwatch, tentatively and uncreatively titled the iWatch.
Website recode.net is saying the company is definitely going to be unveiling a new wearable piece alongside its new phone on Sept. 9. The next-generation watch will make use of Apple’s HealthKit, a health and fitness platform, they say. The watch is also expected to make use of HomeKit, the company’s method of controlling devices around the home.
