What to Look for From Apple’s September Product Launch

Talk is already strong about what new products Apple will sell following its fall product launch event.

Apple is nearly guaranteed to announce the new iPhone 6s at the September press event. The device, according to reports, will likely come with a similar design to its predecessor and offer screen sizes of both 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. There’s also a rumor that Apple could announce the iPhone 6c, boasting a 4-inch screen, for customers who don’t want to pay so much to get a new handset.

The iPad Mini is in desperate need of an update, and many reports have suggested that it will get an improvement at the September event. Look for the iPad Mini 4 to come with a better processor and an even thinner frame that’s lighter than its predecessor. The device also may come with more RAM to accommodate the high-powered applications increasingly making their way to iOS.

The iPad Air is another device likely to get an update at Apple’s September event. The company hasn’t updated the iPad in well over a year, and the division is flagging. According to several rumors, Apple’s next iPad Air will, like the Mini, be thinner than its predecessor and include new processors to speed it up. Be aware, though, that the device is likely to keep the 9.7-inch screen.

Over the past few years, a nagging rumor has stubbornly claimed that Apple is planning to launch a new iPad Pro that would feature a nearly 13-inch screen, higher-end processors and more storage than any other slate the company offers. Each time, Apple has dashed hopes of such a launch, but the rumors are circulating again that the company will unveil it in September. Will it happen this time around? Some enterprise customers seeking a higher-end iPad are certainly hoping so.

Apple has stubbornly decided not to talk about how many Apple Watch devices it has sold to this point. Researchers and analysts have floated various numbers, but nobody knows what the truth is. It’s time for Apple to finally report how many Apple Watch units it has sold worldwide and put the issue to rest. While it’s unlikely that Apple Watch is a failure, the less Apple talks about it, the worse it looks.

A recent report suggested that Apple has the ability to expand the number of Beats streaming-radio stations it offers by five and will announce the new offerings in September. It’s unclear what Apple will focus on with new Beats stations, but the rumor mill says the company has hopes of building out a network of stations that will ultimately funnel people to its paid Apple Music streaming service. Image 6: Please use this image:

Apple may have already unveiled iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, but the company typically uses its September announcements to show off some unannounced Mac OS features. The same is likely to happen again this year when Apple shows off split-screen multitasking support for the iPad Mini—something it has yet to talk up. There are also indications that El Capitan may get some other improvements, based on reports from developers who have played with the beta versions, but it’s unclear exactly what that OS may add.

Apple’s Force Touch is expected to be a major feature in all of the company’s products in the coming years. Force Touch allows users to apply varying degrees of pressure on the screen and have the software acknowledge the amount of pressure and respond accordingly. Force Touch is believed to be coming to the new iPhone 6 models and may also find its way to at least some of the devices in Apple’s iPad line.

Apple has promised Apple Music for Android, but what about its other applications? Some analysts argue that Apple’s foray into Android with Apple Music could be a precursor to the company offering Apple Maps and its other apps on Android. While it seems unlikely, the analysts argue that if Apple is planning to offer its music service on Android, it could try its luck with other apps. It’s an interesting idea if nothing else.

Apple shouldn’t make any changes to its pricing on the iPhone or iPad. As recent financial gains have shown, Apple’s pricing seems to resonate with customers. More importantly for Apple, it could prop up demand for the company’s latest products. Apple has found the sweet spot on product pricing and shouldn’t modify its strategy one bit.