iPhone 15, New Apple Watch Coming September 12
Apple announced its iPhone 15 event will take place on September 12, at 1:00pm ET! Tech season has begun, and this first event of the Fall should bring significant changes to the iPhone Pro models, especially. I run down everything to expect in the latest video:
The Big Changes
All the rumors and leaks point to one major change across the iPhone 15 lineup, and that will be the charging port transitioning from Lightning to USB-C. Apple replaced the 30-pin connector with Lightning over 10 years ago, and this transition will finally move the iPhone charging port to a universal standard.
If you have a modern iPad or MacBook, you should already be familiar with USB-C as a connector, but those who only live in the iPhone / AirPods world may feel a little put off by the change.
Not only is USB-C more universal, but the iPhone 15 Pro models may also support Thunderbolt data speeds on the same connector, allowing much faster data transfers when connected directly to a Mac. This will be welcome when it’s time to back up your device or move those 4K video files from iPhone to Mac.
I’m also optimistic that this change will allow more accessories to be immediately compatible with iPhone 15, USB microphones for example. With iOS 16 last year, the Lightning-to-USB camera connector and some Lightning-powered mics stopped working in some apps. Hopefully, without the need for an adapter, the new iPhone models will play nice with more USB peripherals.
If you’d like a detailed explainer on the different types of USB cables and connectors, I actually made a video about that too!
iPhone 15 Pro
Aside from the USB-C connector, the Pro models should see several other improvements:
New A17 Bionic chip
Titanium construction
Smaller Bezels
Improved cameras
Periscope zoom lens
Titanium is already used on the Apple Watch Ultra, and would be much lighter than the current stainless steel band around iPhone 14 Pro. However, due to difficulty in anodizing or applying color to titanium, we may end up with a rather dull color choice across the pro models this year. If these are accurate, I’ll go blue:
The periscope camera feature may only be found in the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max model, which is unfortunate for those (like me) who prefer the smaller size iPhone. If true, the periscope style lenses should offer a much longer optical zoom magnification on the telephoto lens. Considering how the 3x camera is significantly worse than the current default wide lens on the iPhone 14 Pro, this would be a welcome upgrade and should be immediately noticeable to users.
Apple Watch and AirPods
Alongside the launch of iPhone 15, we should also see Apple Watch Series 9, possibly Apple Watch Ultra 2, and updated AirPods. According to prominent and accurate leaker, Mark Gurman, Apple is reserving the big update to its Apple Watch design for next year. 2024 will be the 10th anniversary of the original Apple Watch.
So, this year will likely be a muted update to the Apple Watch lineup. Slightly faster chip, maybe an Action Button like the Apple Watch Ultra, and some new color options. Considering Apple Watch Ultra isn’t even a year old at this point, we may see even fewer updates to that model, if at all.
When to Tune In
The event, which Apple titled Wonderlust, is live-streaming on Tuesday, September 12 at 1pm ET. You can watch the event on Apple’s website or YouTube channel. But if you want just the highlights with a splash of analysis, I will post a recap podcast shortly after the event is over on the AppleInsider show! I may even do a video recap here on my channel, so follow both just in case ;-)
Manage iPhone Notifications
As you await the Apple event, I recently dropped a video to help people gain control of their iPhone notifications. Being a tech-savvy user, you may feel completely equipped to handle those red badges, but I offer some tips that even long-time iPhone users may not know! You can watch by clicking here or the image above!
Road Trip and Travel Tech
I’ve done a good amount of traveling in the last month, from a 2,600 mile road trip around the eastern U.S., then flying to Denver for Podcast Movement conference! If you’d like to hear more about my experience at Podcast Movement, I was invited on the latest MacBreak Weekly podcast with Leo Laporte and we discuss there!
But I also had many opportunities to try out various chargers, car adapters, CarPlay screens, and other tech accessories for travel. The video above covers much of it, but I’ve also been using an updated Carpuride touchscreen for wireless CarPlay!
You can check out my full review here or by clicking the image below, and stay tuned to the YouTube channel over the next few weeks as tech season is now in full swing and I’ll break down all the big news as it happens!
