Fast Charge: The iPhone 14 event could be more Pro than ever
OPINION: You should block out your diary for the upcoming Apple Event, because it could take the brand’s products to another level.
It might not seem all that long ago that we first laid eyes on the iPhone 13, but believe it or not, a year has rolled by once more and we’re soon set to see its sequel. This week, we were finally given the official date of the launch event: September 7, according to Apple’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Greg Joswiak.
In fact, this could be the year that Apple becomes more Pro than ever, at least as far as its mobile tech products are concerned.
For one thing, there have been strong rumours that the manufacturer will launch its first-ever Apple Watch Pro. While we’ve long been impressed by the quality of the Apple Watch ever since its first appearance on the scene, both for its excellent fitness features and its brilliant smart compatibility, it seems that Apple has decided to raise the bar once again with this prospective new product.
Early rumours have indicated that this version of the Apple Watch Series 8 will have flat edges, a far more robust construction quality for outdoors use (including titanium casing), and a larger battery too. It’s supposedly designed for all-weather, all-terrain users who want to get the best out of their smartwatch regardless of the weather conditions, and so could find itself being compared to the likes of the Garmin Fenix 7.
Moving onto smartphones, and while Apple has had Pro-level iPhones for a few years now, which have most importantly packed an extra camera sensor and a higher refresh rate, this year we’ll apparently see an even bigger jump in quality between the Pro edition and the standard edition than we’ve ever seen before.
Early indications are that the iPhone 14 Pro will (at long last) have a completely rethought design, ditching the wide notch that’s been present since the iPhone X in favour of a dual holepunch for the selfie cameras. Apparently, it can also hope to have a titanium chassis and a higher quality OLED panel, plus it may support 8K video recording.
Most significantly of all, one rumour from trusted source Ming-Chi Kuo has indicated that the iPhone 14 Pro models will be the only ones in the new series to get a new generation of processor, thought to be the A16 Bionic, whereas the others will miss out on this key upgrade. and may even have to make do with last year’s A15.
What’s more, we could also see the AirPods Pro 2 make their much-awaited arrival, and sources indicate that these too could be refreshed to a very significant extent. Not only is there a chance that the iconic stem could be ditched altogether, but there’s a long list of new features which could join the buds; a possible new suite of fitness-tacking enhancements could be included so that you can monitor your heart rate, health conditions and motion, while a voice-activated transparency mode has also been mooted.
The Pro-level upgrades made across three product categories show that the next Apple Event is one that you really can’t miss out on. It even indicates a shift in Apple’s strategy, creating more pronounced tier of products, by price and prestige; note particularly that the actual design language for each of these products is rumoured to be undergoing major changes so that they will be immediately visually distinct from their non-Pro counterparts.
Our only concern is whether the standard vanilla products can still keep pace with those at the top of the product line, especially with regard to the new iPhone. While it’s better for the consumer to have the option of a range of products at a range of price points, we wouldn’t like to see the average customer left behind if the focus shifts so significantly to the upper end of the market.
However, currently all of these supposed rehauls are just rumours for now; you’ll have to follow our coverage of the Apple Event on September 7 to see whether the industry analysts have hit the mark, or if our expectations will be confounded.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
