Apple event - live: New iPhone, AirPods, Watch and more to be launched at livestream event
Apple is about to hold its biggest event of the year, announcing its biggest product.
The company is holding a livestreamed event where it will show off the new iPhone 14, revised Apple Watches and perhaps even a new update to the AirPods Pro.
In fact, there are rumoured to be four new iPhone 14s: a small and large version of the Pro and non-Pro. Apple could also introduce a new “rugged” or “Pro” Apple Watch, according to rumours.
It will all begin at 10am local pacific time on Wednesday, 7 September, when Tim Cook and others will take to the stage at the Apple Park campus to introduce the new products.
It looks to be the first real on-stage event for the company since before the pandemic. Since then, Apple has decided to show off its new product in spectacular, special effects-heavy livestreamed productions – some of which may still be in evidence in the new event.
Here is all the late-breaking rumours, news and speculation about the phones ahead of the latest event.
Key points
Everything we know about the upcoming iPhone
Everything else we expect from September event
... and everything we are expecting to come at October event
How to watch live
Apple event - live: Watch Ultra specs
18:32 , Anthony Cuthbertson
You can read more about the Apple Watch Ultra right here.
Apple event - live: All new Watch Ultra
18:29 , Anthony Cuthbertson
And there’s another Apple Watch!
The Apple Watch Ultra has a titanium case to make it the most durable smartwatch Apple has ever created. It comes with a customisable Action button.
It also comes with a brighter screen and extra speaker, as well as a bigger battery that gets up to 60 hours of extended life.
Apple event - live: Watch SE
18:25 , Anthony Cuthbertson
And here’s everything on the slightly cheaper Apple Watch SE:
Apple event -live: Watch Series 8 specs
18:23 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Watch Series 8:
Apple event - live: Watch Series 8 to get new straps and battery saving feature
18:20 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Apple Watch Series 8 will receive a new Low Power Mode, as well as a host of new cases and straps.
It’s going to start at $399 for the GPS version and $499 for cellular.
Orders open today, it will be available on 16 September.
Apple event - live: Watch Series 8 ‘Crash Detection'
18:18 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Apple Watch Series 8 includes two improved pieces of hardware that can sense when a wearer suffers a serious collision. The Crash Detect feature will allow wearers to contact emergency services from their wrist should they ever need to.
“We truly hope you’ll never need it, but hope you’ll feel a little bit safer every time you get in the car.”
Apple event - live: Cycle tracking on Watch Series 8
18:14 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Menstrual cycle tracking updates are coming to the Apple Watch Series 8.
Among these is a wrist sensor that samples a wearer’s temperature every five minutes, which can help indicate ovulation and therefore improve people’s chance of conceiving.
Apple event - live: ‘best Apple Watch lineup yet'
18:10 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Tim Cook promises the “best Apple Watch lineup yet”, as he hands over to chief operating officer Jeff Williams to tell us all about the Apple Watch Series 8.
It’s swim proof, dust proof and crack resistant. Here’s what it looks like:
Apple event - live: iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch
18:04 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Tim Cook confirms that the three main items on the menu this morning will be the iPhone, the AirPods and the Apple Watch.
We’re going to start with the Apple Watch.
Apple event - live: We’re off!
18:02 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Zooming through the galaxy we arrive to Earth, where the camera pans over to California and to Apple Park and Tim Cook, who is waiting to greet us.
“Good morning,” he begins.
Apple event - live: Stream begins
17:59 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Apple’s official live stream of the event is underway, playing some funky music while spinning around some star formations that come together to form the company’s logo.
You can watch the live stream at the top of this page.
Apple event - live: What to expect from the new iPhone
17:56 , Anthony Cuthbertson
If you can’t wait five more minutes (or probably more like 15 for the actually announcement to be made), you can read up on everything we know so far about what to expect from the iPhone 14 - including release date, specs and versions - right here.
Apple event - live: ‘Good morning!'
17:50 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Just 10 minutes to go now until we see Apple boss Tim Cook walk onto the stage at Apple Park to kick off this year’s event.
Few things in life are certain: Death, taxes, and Tim Cook opening a keynote saying “good morning!”
Apple event - live: ‘Far out’annoucnements?
17:36 , Anthony Cuthbertson
The September 2022 Apple event is named ‘Far out’, potentially hinting at the unveiling of some device or technology that is still a way off.
Could it be the much-hyped Apple Car? Or perhaps a pair of augmented reality glasses that have long been in development? Or maybe something else entirely?
My bet is it’s a reference to the satellite technology I mentioned earlier, which will allow emergency calls from anywhere on planet Earth.
With less than half an hour to go until it kicks off, we don’t have long to wait to find out...
Apple event - live: iPhone more dominant than ever
17:21 , Anthony Cuthbertson
One of the big stories this week was the iPhone market share in the US hitting an all-time high, demonstrating Apple’s dominance in its home market.
It was the first time ever that more than 50 per cent of smartphone users owned iPhones rather than Androids.
A separate report also found that Apple continues to dominate the global market for premium smartphones, despite inflationary pressures.
I’d be surprised if Tim Cook doesn’t make mention of one or both of these stats in his opening monologue.
Apple event - live: Charged up
17:02 , Anthony Cuthbertson
There’s just an hour to go until we get underway, and as the crowd begins to charge up, one of the questions still lingering about this year’s iPhone is whether it will finally adopt the near-industry-wide standard USB-C charger.
It’s already present on other Apple products, including Mac desktops and laptops, but could 2022 finally be the year that the iPhone gets it? There are also rumours that Apple might ditch the tech entirely and go for an all-wireless system. It would be a bold move but having been the first major smartphone maker to ditch the headphone jack, it wouldn’t be out of character.
Apple event - live: Thousands tune in to Far Out stream
16:31 , Anthony Cuthbertson
There used to be a time when Apple would only make the live streams of its iPhone events available to people who already own Apple products and software.
Fortunately, these days anyone can watch it on YouTube. The holding page is now available, and with 90 minutes to wait until it’s live there’s already more than 50,000 people waiting to watch. Keen.
Apple event - live: iPhone 14 expectations
16:27 , Anthony Cuthbertson
With the iPhone now 15 years old, there has been some grumbling in recent years that it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between the later models.
Rumours suggest that while the iPhone 14 Pro may see significant upgrades, the standard iPhone 14 will stay largely the same as the previous generation: same chip on the inside, same design on the outside.
This has inevitably led some to make fun of the anticipation surrounding today’s Apple event:
iPhone user when Apple announce the iPhone 14 tomorrow: #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/USgUGEc9KW
— Sancheezzzy ✵ (@Scoby20) September 7, 2022
Apple event - live: Back to normal?
16:20 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Today’s event will be the first time Apple has held an in-person iPhone unveiling event since before the pandemic.
My colleague Andrew Griffin opened this week’s IndyTech newsletter (which you can sign up for here) mulling on what this means, not just for Apple, but for everyone.
There are lots of things Apple wants the new iPhone’s launch to be: anticipated, discussed, exciting, charismatic. There’s one thing it probably doesn’t want it to be: normal.
But normal is definitely what it feels like. That’s primarily because Apple is holding the event in person, marking the first time it has done so since before the pandemic.
Apple and other tech companies were among the world’s leading companies as the coronavirus crisis approached, and by shutting down offices and taking other measures they led where other less nimble businesses followed. Many of them were pioneering in their adoption of remote work, with some companies such as Twitter announcing that its staff could work from home forever if they wanted to.
But now those same companies are leading the charge to decide what we want our return to something like normal life to be. And Apple have suggested that the past looks a lot like the future: asking its staff to come back to the office, and asking the media to come back to its campus.
But what one of the many questions that will be answered during the Apple event is just how much that vision of normal life has been changed by the intervening period of very un-normal times. Will it hold onto the flashy, movie-like productions that have characterised Apple events during the pandemic? They have been entertaining in a way that the stage productions weren’t, and it would be a shame if Apple’s attempt to going back to normal went back to those events feeling ordinary.
Apple event - live: Tim Cook promises ‘stellar’ show
15:51 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Apple boss Tim Cook is already up and about ahead of today’s event.
He shared a photo at 6am this morning of a rainbow appearing to emanate from the rainbow stage at the centre of the Apple Park campus. He promises a “stellar” show for us.
Good morning! Looking forward to a stellar Apple event. pic.twitter.com/8rwWBwX79V
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 7, 2022
Apple event to include satellite-enabled iPhone?
15:36 , Anthony Cuthbertson
One of the rumours surrounding today’s Apple event is that the iPhone 14 will include emergency satellite connectivity.
This follows a number of other smartphone giants like Huawei, which just unveiled the Mate 50 series capable of sending texts via satellite commnication, as well as smaller startups like the UK phone maker Bullitt.
The speculation surrounding Apple’s interest in the feature comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said the Cupertino company has already completed the hardware development and has secured a satellite internet partner for the service.
Apple Store goes offline
15:02 , Andrew Griffin
The Apple Store has gone offline, ahead of the event later on.
That’s all normal. The website seems to need to be taken down for Apple to make big updates to it, when new products come out.
There is something changed, though. The warning message that tells people they can’t use the site directs them to the livestream, which should at least explain what’s going on to anyone who visits.
iOS 16 release date
10:37 , Andrew Griffin
As well as all the hardware, today will probably be the day that we get a release date for iOS 16, the new software update for iPhones.
The changes are focused on personalisation, and are relatively modest. They are also likely to make more sense when the new phones come out: the new update changes the lock screen, for instance, in ways that seem set up for the new iPhone’s rumoured always-on display.
We probably won’t get a release date for iPadOS 16. That software update has run into issues, and been delayed – most likely we’ll hear about it at the October event, when new iPads are expected.
Google announces launch for its new phone
09:47 , Andrew Griffin
With interesting timing, Google has said that it will be holding its own livestreamed event – on October 6. The event will probably see the release of a Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, as well as a watch, all of which have been teased by Google already.
The announcement of the event came just a day before Apple’s big launch.
‘Apple Watch Pro’ may have been leaked in new pictures
09:46 , Andrew Griffin
One of the big things that is both expected and unknown about today is the introduction of the “Apple Watch Pro”. It seems pretty likely that it is coming today – but nobody knows exactly what form it might take. Rumours suggest it will be bigger, might be more rugged, and could bring extra features like an additional button.
Now what appear to be leaked images of cases suggest that it will be very big indeed. New images show what claim to be casings for the new device, compared with the existing and new Apple Watches.
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) September 6, 2022
Welcome to event day...
09:27 , Andrew Griffin
By the end of the day, we’ll know exactly what Apple has to offer to iPhone customers new and old.* In about eight hours, Tim Cook and his fellow executives will take the stage to reveal new phones, Apple Watches and more.
* We pretty much know what is going to be announced, though not the details of it. You can find all the information we have, here.
How to watch along at home
Tuesday 6 September 2022 13:39 , Andrew Griffin
Here are all the details you need for watching along at home – on YouTube, or through Apple’s own website and services. It used to make it difficult, but not so much anymore.
(The big unknown is what live stream will look like – will Apple keep the glitzy, Hollywood-esque production of previous events, or go back to having its executives stand on stage, live and without special effects? I would imagine a bit of both. But we’ll find out tomorrow.)
What Apple will announce at the event after this
Monday 5 September 2022 12:03 , Andrew Griffin
We may be just days from the September event. But it’s likely to be followed by another, in October – and here’s everything we’re expecting from that, including iPads and Macs.
What to expect from the Apple event
Monday 5 September 2022 12:02 , Andrew Griffin
This is everything we expect to be launched at Wednesday’s event. It also includes the things we don’t expect to come, but which might: iPads, Macs, augmented reality and more.
Everything we know about the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro
Monday 5 September 2022 12:01 , Andrew Griffin
A new display for the iPhone 14 Pro – and new things to put on it?
Monday 5 September 2022 11:59 , Andrew Griffin
Apple has long been rumoured to be dramatically changing the screen in the iPhone 14 Pro: introducing an always-on display, and getting rid of the “notch” at the top and swapping it for a much smaller cutout.
Now, we’re learning more about how that will work. It will allow for the introduction of a proper battery readout, as well as other changes to the lock screen, a new report claims.
You can read all about them here.
AirPods Pro 2 are coming?
Monday 5 September 2022 11:57 , Andrew Griffin
One of the late-breaking rumours is that the iPhone event will also see the launch of new AirPods Pro. They are expected to bring minor external changes but introduce a new processor and wireless audio standards that could make for much more high quality listening, according to rumours.
You can read the full report here.
Hello and welcome...
Monday 5 September 2022 11:26 , Andrew Griffin
... to The Independent’s live coverage of Apple’s iPhone launch, on Wednesday.
We’re expecting not one but four iPhone 14s (a big and small version of each of the Pro and non-Pro phones), as well as new Apple Watches (five of them, in all). There might also be more besides, such as new AirPods Pro.
