3 Burning Questions Before Next Week’s Apple ‘iPhone 7’ Event
Next Wednesday, Sept. 7, we’ll finally get to see what Apple’s been doing behind the scenes in the last few months. We already know an “iPhone 7” is set for release. So too is an “Apple Watch 2.” Still some questions remain.
Black or Blue?
The iPhone 6s/6s Plus is available in space gray, silver, gold, and rose gold. One of those colors is likely to be replaced by a new hue on the iPhone 7.
For months, it looked like a blue iPhone 7 was in our future. Recently, leaks showing a space black variant began taking hold.
As I first noted on Monday, I think Apple’s invitation for next week’s event suggests that a black iPhone 7 is incoming.
Actually, I think the invite being in black is the real true color for iPhone 7. https://t.co/ZOCV7PnbP9
— Bryan M. Wolfe (@bryanmwolfe) August 29, 2016
We’ll find out the truth in eight days.
Big Apple TV changes?
There’s a lot to love about the upcoming tvOS 10 update, including the introduction of new HomeKit integration tools, a smarter Siri, and the ability to use a dark theme on Apple TV. Single sign-on is also highly anticipated.
First introduced in June, single sign-on will allow you to enter your cable or satellite subscription credentials once, rather than in every video app that requires a login.
Unfortunately, we have yet to see single sign-on in action. The feature never showed up in a string of tvOS 10 betas over the summer and Apple barely mentions the feature online.
Dark Theme, tvOS 10
A pessimist might assume this means that single sign-on is dead, at least in 2016. The optimist might suggest that single sign-on contains event-worthy extra features that Apple plans on showing off next week. (Hence, the reason single sign-on wasn’t installed on the betas.)
I’m hoping single sign-on is a piece of Apple’s rumored digital TV guide feature. It makes sense, no?
An Amazon Echo competitor?
Back in May, rumors began flying that Apple would reveal a Siri-based speaker as a competitor to Amazon’s Echo (and the upcoming Google Home). In doing so, Apple was expected to unveil a Siri API for third-party developers.
Google Home
We have yet to see the speaker (or the API), which suggests this could be a 2017 product. Given that Google is about to take on Amazon in this space soon with Home, perhaps not.
What are you hoping to see at Apple’s fall event?
