The AppAdvice tech week in review: New iPhones, Apple TV on Sept. 9

Summer is almost over, and we all know what that means; Apple is about to announce new products. Here’s a look back at the biggest tech stories during the week that was:

The biggest story of the week: Launch time

As expected, Apple will hold an iPhone-centered special event on Wednesday, Sept. 9 from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco, California. The live-streamed event kicks off at 10 a.m. PDT. In addition to the unveiling of the “iPhone 6s” and “iPhone 6s Plus,” the media event is likely to showcase the arrival of a fourth-generation Apple TV.

Apple’s programmed quite a few responses to “Siri, give me a hint”… pic.twitter.com/WjaI37kkcb

— Jan Dawson (@jandawson) August 27, 2015

Like the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus should be incremental hardware updates, at best. The new handsets are expected to feature better cameras, be made with a stronger aluminum alloy, and come with Force Touch. The new iPhones may also be available in rose gold for the first time. The new devices may also feature 2GB of RAM, double that of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Along with a faster A9 chip, that should make both models speed demons. The handsets themselves should look nearly identical to the iPhone 6 models.

As I previously noted, the selection of the 7,000-seat Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for this year’s event is a surprising one. It suggests that Apple is prepping for a huge surprise.

Also making news: Instagram is no longer square

Instagram has announced a great new update that will show off your stuff even better than before. You can now share photos and videos in both portrait and landscape views. Don’t worry, the signature squares aren’t going anywhere. This update will just give you the option to share your awesome shots differently.

Other top news stories

Photo: Jessica Haye & Clark Hsiao

Here are other tech stories from the past week:

Ian Rogers, the former CEO of Beats Music and lead executive for Apple’s Beats 1 radio station, has left the Cupertino-based company. Apple hasn’t announced why Rogers left, just two months after the launch of the company’s new music streaming service.

I still believe a 4-inch “iPhone 6c” could make an appearance on Sept. 9. Others, like 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, however, aren’t so sure.

Finally, Samsung has added another incentive to its “Ultimate Test Drive” program, this time putting a bounty on your iPhone. In addition to trying to persuade iPhone owners to switch to Samsung by offering them a one-month trial of an Android-powered Galaxy smartphone for $1, the Korean company will give a couple of payouts to those who end up purchasing the phone.

Big app news

It’s time to jump head first into the world of The Walking Dead in a new game on the App Store. The Walking Dead: Road to Survival is a dark and gritty-role playing game that stays close to the roots of the hugely popular TV series.

Other apps news:

Say what? Our readers weigh in on the week that was

Excitement is the name of the game from our readers after Apple announced the company’s September event.

Chris Brighton says “Biggest “s” upgrade to date. 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, 12-megapixel iSight camera, flash support for the FaceTime camera, 7000 series aluminum, A9 chip and 4K recording! Want. Now.”

Paul asks: “You quote a colourful hint. FT article mentions Siri saying ” I hear something big is happening on Sep 9th.” does that equate to IPhone 6c and IPad pro?”