What I Want From the Apple September 7th Event

I’m VERY hopeful this time around

Right, there we have it — Apple’s next event is confirmed for September 7th, and the tag line is “Far out”.

I’ll avoid the temptation to dig deeply into what the invite invite might suggest we’ll see in a couple of weeks’ time — because that’s what Apple wants us to do and it rarely means anything at all.

Instead, I’m going to reveal the stuff I want to see when Tim and co. take to the stage for Apple’s first in-person event at the Steve Jobs Theatre since the start of the pandemic.

As always, I’m not after much. I promise.

Pro Max justification

I noted recently that my next iPhone will be the iPhone 14 Pro Max (which, you’d hope, is a dead cert for this year).

It’s a huge — literally — step up from my current iPhone 13 mini, but with the mini line seemingly put out to pasture, and my upcoming vlog channel demanding of the most shootable and battery-efficient smartphone, the Pro Max is fast becoming unavoidable.

I do need some justification for spending all of that money, though. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is going to be an expensive device, and while I love the fact Apple has continually democratised its iPhone camera smarts, I would like to see some Pro Max-only stuff next month.

An exciting Apple Watch

My Apple Watch is no longer strapped around my wrist. In its place resides the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro. Wrapped around my other wrist is a WHOOP 4.0 health band.

This is all part of a new focus I have on fitness tech and a desire to explore beyond what Apple has to offer. I’m bored of the Apple Watch; I’ve been wearing one since 2015 and my utilisation of it has reduced significantly.

That’s a little unfair, I know. The Apple Watch has, after all, been moulded into a brilliant little iPhone companion. What was at first a confusing, do-it-all wearable with no clear direction is now a tightly-focused fitness accessory.

But, just like the iPhone, it’s boring. I want to see some innovation — some boundary-pushing. By all means, keep the current form factor and feature set for the masses, but give those who want to experiment something more exciting. The time has come for the Apple Watch to break free of its restraints.

If rumours are to be believed, my prayers might be answered this year in the form of an ‘Apple Watch Pro’. I remain cautiously optimistic as to what that might lead to, but if we see a true, rugged Garmin competitor at a not-silly price point, my interest in the Apple Watch could be reignited.

New AirPods Pro

It’s time, isn’t it?

My AirPods Pro are in a sorry state. And, to be fair, they have been right from the start; why I decided to have my case engraved with ‘Mark’ I still have no idea.

The right earbud’s silicon tip has snapped off, the battery life is waning, and the annoying clicking fault I experienced with my first pair is gradually returning.

This is why I’ve been using the brilliant OPPO Enco X for the last couple of months — a £170 pair of earbuds which absolutely smash the AirPods Pro in terms of sound, convenience, and value.

We’re also gradually seeing the birth of wireless lossless streaming, thanks to emerging products from the likes of Nura (and, potentially, even Samsung). Next month, I’d love to see the long-awaited next-generation AirPods Pro and find out what Apple has been working on in terms of their codec capabilities and any other clever stuff they’ve dreamed up while we’ve been patiently waiting.

A glimpse at AR

If there’s one thing the ‘Far out’ event invite might suggest, it’s that we could see something AR-related on September 7th.

While the phrase ‘far out’ could simply relate to some form of super-zoom camera trickery, Greg Joswiak’s tweeted GIF of the invite shows an Apple logo made up of galaxies and stars spaced light years apart as it spins around.

The depth, space, and time featured in that invite might, in fact, relate to the AR-based operating system Apple has been rumoured to be working on for some time now.

Dammit, I’ve gone and got lost in the invite speculation, haven’t I?

Regardless, I would like to see a glimpse of what Apple has to offer in this area. The launch of an AR-related product still feels some way off, but setting the path of expectation for consumers and developers wouldn’t be a bad shout.

Final thought

I’m pretty hopeful about my predictions above. The only area in which I think Apple might disappoint is the AirPods Pro — there’s a strong chance we’ll only see an update to that product via a random, low-key press release next year.

I’d love to know what you’re looking forward to next month, though. Is the prospect of a notch-less iPhone enough to have you reaching for your wallet? Or are you hoping for something far more exciting to emerge from Cupertino?

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on August 25, 2022.