By Hayley Tsukayama
With Apple's announced media event coming Wednesday, speculation and fervor around the company's next products are kicking into high gear. And we're pretty sure we're going to see at least one new iPhone next week, unless Apple completely bucks tradition.
But the rumor mill is looking pretty good on the appearance of an iPhone 6S and an iPhone 6S Plus, which would be in keeping with Apple's standard product cycle.
So what will we see on the new iPhone? The biggest main feature addition that analysts and tech reporters expect is Force Touch. That's right, just in time for the big "Star Wars" push, Apple is adding the force to its iPhone.
Force Touch is a feature that is already on the Apple Watch and the newest MacBook — it is a sort of right click for touch-sensitive screens, or the long press on Android devices. Pushing down more vigorously on a touchscreen or, in the case of the MacBook, a touchpad brings up other options, which in turn can expand the options Apple users have to interact with their apps.
The new iPhones are expected to be a little thicker to accommodate this technology, according to a post from MacRumors. Speculation also exists that the next iPhone will have a rose-gold color option similar to what we have seen on the Apple Watch. Unlike the super-expensive rose-gold watch, however, the pinkish phone is expected to be made of aluminum.
The new phone is also expected to have an upgraded camera. According to 9t05Mac's Mark Gurman, the new phones will have a 12 MP camera that shoots in 4K, as well as a flash for selfies. (Because we all know there's nothing worse than a dim selfie.)
Overall, the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are expected to be a minor upgrade for 6 and 6 Plus users, although possibly more attractive to those still rocking the iPhone 5S or earlier models.
As for nonphone news, the expectation is that Apple is going to show off a new Apple TV set-top box, giving the product its first major upgrade in several years. The new box is expected to launch without Apple's expected TV service, which reports indicate is still hung up in negotiations. A new report from Variety indicates that Apple may also be looking into producing original content.
Still, we're unlikely to hear much, if anything, about that next week. Gurman, a reliable source for Apple news, has reported that the new box could cost about $200 — far more than the $99 of the previous Apple TV, which Apple had discounted even more to $69.
The Apple TV is expected to have some new features to explain the price, including built-in support for the Siri voice assistant and a revamped remote. The remote, Gurman said, could include a more traditional remote sensor, so that you can use it to control older devices as well as Bluetooth-enabled gadgets.
WP-Bloomberg
