A new report has claimed that Apple is looking to put on its expected next big event during
"the week of September 7," with a possible (though historically unusual) date of Wednesday, September 9. While unconfirmed, the event would likely introduce the next updates to the iPhone and iPad lines, as well as officially debut the next major upgrades to OS X, iOS, and the watchOS. In addition, it is possible that Apple may reveal a revamped Apple TV.
The sources quoted by
Buzzfeed's John Paczkowski were anonymous and vague, but Apple is widely expected to put on an event sometime in September -- though a recent
dubious rumor suggested that the oft-cited "production delays" had pushed back iPhone production, making a September debut doubtful. Apple will at some point make a formal announcement of any event, often through invitations to the press.
MacNN will, of course, cover the event live.
The report also claims that Apple will refresh its iPad line during the same event as the iPhone introduction, which would be unusual but not unheard of. Apple has frequently used an event to announce a product that will only be available for pre-order for a (usually brief) period of time, but actually hits retail stores a week to a month later -- as it did with the previous iPhone, and the Apple Watch.
Paczkowski claims that the event will likely be held on the same day as it was last year, on September 9 -- but this seems unlikely, given that it falls on a Wednesday this year. Apple generally prefers to stage events on Tuesdays, which would make September 8 seemingly more in keeping with tradition. His sources suddenly turned coy on the topic of anything in the event beyond a widely-expected iPhone and iPad refresh, claiming that the long-rumored 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" was a "wildcard" that may or may not appear. Unlike the iPhone, there has been no manufacturing partner-provided evidence of such a product, though this does not necessarily rule it out.
Also said to perhaps be debuting at the event would be a
revamped Apple TV unit, which would feature a new "touchpad" remote, a new App Store for iOS apps that could be used with landscape-oriented HDTVs, Siri voice control, HomeKit compatibility, and a redesigned form factor that is alleged to be thinner with "new input methods," using the A8 processor as currently seen in the iPhone 6 line. As with the "iPad Pro," there has been no evidence of a new Apple TV box in the form of FCC approvals or leaked images, but Apple is well-known for wanting to expand the Apple TV's capabilities.
The company is expected to call its latest iPhone the "iPhone 6s" (and "iPhone 6s Plus" for the larger model), and rumors have the new device gaining a Force Touch display, a next-gen A9 processor, an improved camera, new graphics chipset, and potentially some battery and storage improvements. The outside design of the unit is expected to be
virtually unchanged from the current models. It's unclear what improvements, other than a spec bump, any new iPad models would offer, and Apple already refreshed the iPod line with a new iPod touch last month.
Apple will also be debuting the public releases of OS X 10.11 El Capitan,
iOS 9, and watchOS 2, the latter of which is expected to introduce major new features and improvements to the Apple Watch. All three are currently in beta, with limited public betas available to pre-registered testers for El Capitan and iOS 9. Though there have recently been reports of a
new 4K-capable Apple unreleased product revealed in El Capitan, with speculation pointing to a new Retina iMac model, it's not currently expected to be shown at the upcoming iPhone event.