As surely as night follows day, September brings with it an Apple iPhone 13 event, and for 2021, that should give us a new iPhone 13 (?) range and most likely, the new Watch 7 and new AirPods.
Apple 2021 Fall Event
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Back in April, at its first event of the year, Apple launched the brilliant iPad Pro 2021 and brand new AirTags. This time the focus lands on iPhone where the expectation is on three, or possibly four (if the mini gets another run out), new handsets.
Once again, due to the ever ongoing global pandemic and crippling block on most international travel, the Fall event is digital-only and will be live-streamed on the Apple website and its YouTube Channel for everyone to follow along as the news breaks.
iPhone 13
If rumours are believed, then the new iPhone could come with an upgraded display, a satellite comms feature and a few extra numbers added to the camera specifications. These are just some of the most popular rumours, and I prefer to wait for the facts at the event next week.
There’s also no indication or expectation of any radical design change for this year. Worryingly, maybe, is the fact some online media sites are already focusing on the 2022 iPhone 14!?!
One area I’m sure Apple will improve on is the main rear camera. The Samsung S21 Ultra, released earlier this year, has blown users away with its power and capabilities and even made the Best Smartphone for Travellers on my Best Travel Gadget Guide for 2021.
Watch Series 7
Apple Watch has also fallen into an annual cycle of new versions, and model 7 is expected to appear during the event. Last year the Series 6 gave us a new Blood Oxygen Sensor and some new casing colours.
But will we see a physical change?
Watch has kept its same design since the first model, and this is one area many other brands now beat Apple for desirability, but making such a change won’t be easy. The third-party market for Apple Watch is huge, with some of the straps alone are now hitting the hundreds of dollars mark.
One change I would welcome, though, is to the battery performance. Despite the slew of software updates for Watch, battery performance really hasn’t improved much.
AirPods 3
The success of AirPods means any new product launch brings about rumours of the next generation of the popular ANC buds. Despite better, albeit more expensive offerings, from Sony and Bowers & Wilkins, board any flight in the world, and the number of AirPods is almost on par with the legendary Bose QC35’s.
This means any new addition to AirPods from Apple means big news for travellers.
Where & When
Apple will live-stream its 2021 Fall event for iPhone 13 on Tuesday, September 14th, on apple.com and its YouTube channel. Clicking through to either site now will let you add a reminder to your calendar, so you don’t miss it. The event will start at:
- 10am (PDT)
- 1pm (ET)
- 6pm (BST)
- 7pm (CET)
- 9pm (GST)
Discounted Apple Devices
Leading up to this event, there have been some great discounted offers on the current selection of Apple devices, most notably at Best Buy and Amazon if you are not bothered by having the latest technology and are in the market for an iPhone 12, Watch or AirPods.
I’ve seen AirPods reach around the $100/£100 mark in the past week, which is a great price and the iPhone 12 drop by £100 too! Both of which will still be current for a few more years yet.
