APPLE has formally announced its next big launch event – and that means an iPhone is coming.
The tech giant is now just days away from the expected reveal of the iPhone 14.
Invites to the glitzy affair have been sent out to the world’s tech media – including The Sun.
And the date is set: September 7.
That’s when Apple chief Tim Cook will ascend the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater at his Californian HQ and show off what the company has been secretly cooking up.
Fans of Apple have already been analysing the event invitation for clues about what’s to come.
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The chief theory is that Apple is preparing some kind of astrophotography feature.
That’s because the Apple logo on the invite appears to be made up of stars, representing a night sky scene.
The iPhone has had a very capable camera for years, and we’ve seen good astrophotography from users with tripods in the past.
Maybe Apple has found a way to create even better low-light images that truly capture the wonders of the night sky.
The phrase “far out” that’s included on the invite does seem to support this theory.
But it could also be a potential reference to improved camera zoom – another rumoured iPhone 14 feature.
It’s a good year for interest in space, given that Nasa is finally beginning its Artemis mission – the foundations for putting humans back on the Moon.
So we know Apple is probably revealing a new iPhone on September 7.
But that’s not when the phone will actually be available to buy.
Instead we’d expect iPhone 14 pre-orders to begin on Friday, September 9.
Then we’d imagine media reviews of the product will start arriving on Wednesday, September 14.
And then the actual iPhone 14 release date will likely fall on Friday, September 16.
Of course none of these dates are guaranteed.
It’s impossible to say Apple’s exact plans, so take everything with a pinch of salt for now.
The fans have made their own predictions based on the Apple invites.
But there’s been plenty more to chew over in the past few months.
Apple is expected to give the iPhone 14 Pro models a major facelift.
All rumours point to the removal of the “notch” – the bit of the bezel that juts out into the top of the screen.
This was introduced way back in 2017 with the iPhone X.
It allowed Apple to offer a full-front screen, ditching the Home button while embedding the selfie camera and Face ID in the notch.
Since then, we’ve seen plenty of Android rivals offer full-body displays without having a notch.
Now Apple is playing catch-up with rumours of an iPhone 14 Pro that has two tiny cut-outs on the screen.
This includes a small circular hole for the camera and a tiny pill-shaped gap for Face ID.
The regular non-Pro iPhone 14 models are expected to keep the same rough design as the iPhone 13.
In 2020, Apple launched the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Then in 2021, we saw the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Now for 2022 we’re expecting a change of strategy.
Apple is reportedly scrapping the mini model altogether, and instead adding an iPhone 14 Max to the line-up.
This would mean:
This would mean the regular and Pro lines having better symmetry – and making performance and features the key differentiators.
One thing seems certain: Apple will build a new chip for the next iPhone.
We’re expecting the speedy A16 to debut in September, packing even more power than the iPhone 13’s A15.
Exceptional processing power is now par for the course for Apple mobiles, so it’s no surprise.
But there’s talk of a slight change this year.
It’s rumoured that the regular iPhone 14 models will stick with last year’s A15 Bionic chip.
And insiders say only the iPhone 14 Pro models will get the upgrade to the A16 processor.
Here are some of the other changes and features that have been rumoured to appear on the iPhone 14…
Of course, none of this is certain.
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We won’t know the truth until Apple chief Tim Cook gets up on stage in September to announce the new models.
Until then, take all leaks and rumours with due caution.
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