As you read this, I’m probably sitting on the beach drinking a mojito, enjoying one of the last weeks of summer. When I return, we’ll all be heading into the most exciting four months on the Apple calendar. While generally quiet, the past week still offered some compelling news and predictions about our favorite tech company and what lies ahead. Here’s a recap of everything that happened this week in Apple country.
What’s important about September 6?
As recently reported on our iPhone 14 prediction page, we’re still probably a month away from the first of what will likely be two Apple fall events. This event, possible on Tuesday, September 13, is expected to include the iPhone 14 series and Apple Watch Series 8 reveals, with announcements of new iPads and Macs in October.
While Apple may invite some members of the press to both events, as it did for the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, most of the action will be checked in and streamed globally on Apple TV, Twitter, and Apple’s website. This type of setup means that Apple can take its time and not even announce the September event for a few more days.
Assuming September 13 is the iPhone event, we can expect an announcement a week earlier on Tuesday September 6. 23 launch date.
Good and bad news about iPhone 14 prices
This week we received news about the iPhone 14 series that should come as no surprise. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple insider, Apple is expected to increase the price of iPhone 14 Pro series handsets by around 15%.
Currently, in the US, the base iPhone 13 Pro costs $999, while the cheapest iPhone 13 Pro Max costs $1,099. These numbers could reach around $1,150 and $1,265, respectively. Even with today’s near-record inflation rates in many parts of the world, these numbers seem excessive. However, Apple has never raised the price of the iPhone Pro line since the launch of the iPhone 11 Pro series in 2019, so I guess that’s fair.
On a more positive note, the flagship iPhone 14 is not expected to see a price hike. Like the iPhone 13 (the best iphone currently on the market) before him, this model should start at $799. However, Apple will still see a revenue boost on the regular iPhone 14 series, as it is likely to replace the iPhone mini with an all-new iPhone 14 Max in the lineup. The iPhone 13 mini starts at $699, while the new Max model is set to launch at $899, according to the Latest iPhone 14 Rumors.
iOS 16: It’s getting weird
With new iPhones set to launch in a few weeks, we’re almost done with the iOS 16 beta cycle. Typically, at this point in the process, Apple has stopped making significant changes to software updates. And even, iOS 16 developer beta 5 (and iOS 16 public beta 3) surprised us. These betas feature the return of a battery indicator number to the iPhone home screen, which Apple removed starting with the iPhone X. Unfortunately, early reviews have been mixed.
It might be hard to find a long-term iPhone user upset with Apple’s decision to reverse course and include a battery percentage on the iPhone home screen. But, unfortunately, the new look isn’t necessarily great. Due to spacing issues, the new design is somewhat odd, as it features a battery number (not the sign) above the icon.
Here you can see the difference between the battery indicator on the iPhone home screen and the Control Center:
Some iOS 16 beta testers also said the new battery icon looks odd with specific backgrounds or dark mode. I haven’t encountered these issues, although I haven’t done a lot of testing to prove it.
One final point raised about the new iOS 16 battery indicator: some early adopters have reported that it doesn’t work on some iPhone models, including iPhone 11 Max, iPhone 12 Max, and iPhone 13 min.
All of these concerns are justified, though it’s possible (if not likely) that Apple will change the new design before the official release of iOS 16, so stay tuned.
I walked out the door…
That’s it for me, at least for a few days. To recap, we have a lot to look forward to in the coming months as Apple prepares to launch several new products along with the official debut of iOS 16, macOS 13 is coming, watch OS 9, and more. Some may not be very happy with the battery percentage icon, but there are still many more exciting updates coming in the new version of iOS that we can all look forward to. Although, maybe the new iPhone 14 prices, not so much.
Anyway, in my absence, be sure to stay tuned to iMore for the latest news and excitement from Apple, as always.
— Bryan