It’s only Tuesday, and already Apple has had one of its busiest news weeks since the iPad Pro launched. Rumour mongers are suggesting that we’ll see the iPhone 6C and Apple Watch 2 in the new year, updates have been released for iOS and watchOS, and Apple have released some new accessories — which have proved uniquely divisive. Let’s dive in.
Apple’s next big event dated
According to 9to5Mac, Apple’s next event will be in March 2016, and will include both the iPhone 6C and the Apple Watch 2. It’ll be the second time Apple launch a product in March, following the original Apple Watch earlier this year.
The iPhone 6C will be a 4-inch device with a metal body toting NFC and an Apple A9 chip. That means it’ll be set up for contactless Apple Pay service, but it won’t include other features introduced after the iPhone 5S like 3D Touch or a 12-megapixel rear camera. The Apple Watch 2 will add a front-facing camera for video calls, and should offer upgraded fitness and sleep tracking as well.
iOS and watchOS updated
iOS and watchOS saw new software updates today — iOS 9.1 and watchOS 2.1. The two updates share one big common feature — Arabic language support for Siri — and both include a lot of bug fixes. For iOS, there are some small new features as well, including better 3D Touch functionality in core apps like iBooks, extensions for embedded web browsers in third party apps and touches to News and Apple Music. It’s not a massive release for the non-Arabic-speaking world, but still seems to be worth the download.
New cases and adapters
Surprisingly, perhaps the biggest story today was the release of two new Apple accessories: a Lightning camera adapter and a Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6S in grey and white. The adapter is fairly humdrum — a Lightning connection on one end, SD card reader on the other, and USB 3.0 tech inside — but the battery case has really got people talking. That’s because it is perhaps the ugliest thing Apple has designed in recent memory, looking like Apple just stuck a battery pack in a stretchy iPhone case and called it a day, without even bothering to smooth out the bulging back. Both accessories are available immediately.
Internet TV service halted
Apple has been planning a TV service for years, but according to the most recent information it may not be happening as they’d once planned. CBS president Les Moonves says that Apple have ‘pressed the hold button’ on a live television service, after failing to agree terms with content providers. The service was originally scheduled to launch in June, then September this year, and this latest update doesn’t make its future seem rosy. The service may yet see the light of day, but Apple might have to take a different approach and compromise on its vision to make a subscription-based streaming TV service a reality.
Conclusion
That’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned for a closer look at the Smart Battery Case (and the associated hoopla surrounding its launch), and of course for much more Apple news and accessories!