New iPhone, new charger: Apple bends to EU rules

Apple’s latest iPhone will almost certainly feature a USB-C charge point when it is unveiled on 12 September.

The firm’s phones currently use its proprietary Lightning adaptor, unlike rivals, including Samsung.

A European Union law requires phone manufacturers to adopt a common charging connection by December 2024 to save consumers money and cut waste.

Most new Apple products such as the latest iPads already use USB-C, but the firm had argued against the EU rule.

When it was introduced in September 2021, an Apple representative told BBC News: “Strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world.”

Lightning to USB-C adaptors are already available from other electronics brands including Amazon, and all iPhones since the iPhone 8 which launched in 2017 have supported wireless charging.

As the current iPhone 14 now looks to be the last Apple device to exclusively use it, this could mark the beginning of the end of the Lightning cable – which retails on the Apple store for £19.

It’s unclear whether this will be a global change to the product, although the tech giant is less likely to make a different version of the handset for the European market alone.

The changes are anticipated in the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro devices which are set to be unveiled next week at the firm’s annual autumn event.

According to a report by Bloomberg news, benefits of the switch for users will include customers being able to use a single charger for iPads, Macs and iPhones, as well as faster download speeds.

The EU common-charger rule covers a range of “small and medium-sized portable electronics”, according to the EU, including:

mobile phones
tablets
e-readers
mice and keyboards
GPS (global positioning system) devices
headphones, headsets and earphones
digital cameras
handheld videogame consoles
portable speakers.
Any of these charged using a wired cable will have to have a USB Type-C port, regardless of who makes the devices.

Laptops will also have to abide by the rules but manufacturers have longer to make the changes.

According to the EU, it will save consumers “up to €250m [£213m] a year on unnecessary charger purchases” and cut 11,000 tonnes of waste per year.

Apple Event 2023: iPhone 15 Launch and Everything Else We Expect to See on Sept. 12

We could see the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and, maybe, an iPhone 15 Ultra.

In another sign that fall is just around the corner, Apple sent out invites for an event that’s set to take place at the Steve Jobs Theater on Tuesday, Sept. 12, where we expect to see the next iPhone and Apple Watches announced. The annual fall iPhone event has become a cultural touch point heralding the end of summer, right up there with pumpkin spice.

For months, a seemingly endless flow of iPhone 15 rumors have circulated online. Some hint at a rather straightforward round of year-over-year upgrades, while others point to the possibility of a rebranded larger Pro model called the iPhone 15 Ultra. Let’s break down everything you can expect from Apple’s fall event.

Wanderlust or wonderlust?
The event’s invite is characteristically enigmatic, showing an Apple logo made up of tiny dustlike particles. The logo has grooves carved out of it, a bit like the forms you see on windswept sand dunes.

The tagline, “Wonderlust,” is of course a play on the word wanderlust, which means a strong longing for or impulse toward wandering. Does wonderlust mean a strong longing for or impulse toward wondering? Like everyone else, we’re trying to read something into the invite and wondering what it has to do with Apple’s upcoming announcements. Could the grooved cutouts in the logo refer to a less boxy iPhone design? Could the particles refer to improved cameras capable of capturing more detail? Could the colors — metallic shades of gray, blue and even gold — be a reference to the colors of the new iPhone or Apple Watch?

Or is this all just Apple acknowledging the fleeting nature of existence? No idea. But I expect the iPhone 15 Pro will be the headliner.

The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
As in the iPhone 14 series, there will likely be four models in the new iPhone lineup: the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has a solid record when covering Apple leaks, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will basically be a repackaged iPhone 14 Pro without the telephoto camera or stainless steel body.

The new phones would inherit a 48-megapixel main camera and the A16 chip from the 14 Pros. On the outside, the two phones will trade their display notches for the Dynamic Island cutout that also debuted on the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.

Despite the addition of the Dynamic Island, don’t expect any other changes to the screen. Display analyst Ross Young said in a September 2022 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he isn’t expecting base iPhone 15 models to get a high refresh rate like Apple’s Pro iPhones.

And according to a May report by ChargerLab, a battery and charging specialist website with a steady track record for rumors, all four iPhone 15 models will support 15-watt wireless charging using the Qi2 open standard announced earlier this year. If this turns out to be true, it could mean the iPhone 15 would open up a whole new world of wireless charging devices that don’t necessarily need to be licensed Apple MagSafe accessories.

See also
Apple Announces ‘Wonderlust’ Event for Sept. 12
iPhone 15: Latest Apple Rumors
Apple Watch Series 9: What the Rumors Say
But the biggest change expected for all four iPhones will be the shift away from the Lightning connector. Likely driven by pressure from the European Union, which passed legislation adopting USB-C as a common charging standard, the iPhone 15 series will have a USB-C port instead of a Lighting port. The last time Apple switched the iPhone’s power port was in 2012, when it debuted the Lighting port on the iPhone 5, which spelled the end of the wide 30-pin iPod connector that was previously used.

It’s a bit hazy how exactly Apple will handle this, like whether USB-C will be on all new iPhones globally or just in the EU. But it’s highly likely that all new iPhone models will be sold with a USB-C port for the foreseeable future.

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
Of everything Apple’s expected to announce, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max could have the biggest changes. According to Bloomberg’s Gurman, stainless steel is gone, and instead the Pro model’s frame will be made from titanium. The shift in materials could help reduce the overall weight of each phone, which is hefty even without a case.

The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will likely get a new chip called A17 that features a supertiny, 3-nanometer processor, Apple’s smallest silicon to date. Around the front, the two phones will likely have thinner display bezels.

The Pro models’ biggest change will be the USB-C port, which in a break from the regular 15 and 15 Plus could support faster data speeds for things like transferring files and ProRes video files.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max may get a new 6x optical telephoto camera. Ming-Chi Kuo, a noted Apple analyst with TF International Securities, predicts the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a horizontal mounted periscope lens and camera unit inside the phone’s body, similar to ones in the Pixel 7 Pro, Galaxy S23 Ultra and Sony Xperia 1 V.

Doubling the native optical zoom from 3x to 6x should enable you to capture zoomed-in photos with better detail, resolution and dynamic range compared with the 6x digital zoom on a current iPhone 14 Pro.

Kuo’s report also hints at both Pro models having solid-state volume and power buttons, which would further differentiate them from the regular 15 and 15 Plus. The buttons wouldn’t be mechanical and would be more akin to the touch sensitive area that debuted on the iPhone 7 and acts like a “home button” thanks to some clever haptic feedback. Back in 2018, the HTC U12 had solid-state buttons instead of mechanical ones; however, the experience using them wasn’t great.

There are a couple of rumors that have been circulating despite being a bit dated or unlikely. The first is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max may be rebranded as the iPhone 15 Ultra. Bloomberg’s Gurman mentioned the possibility nearly a year ago, but that should be taken with a grain of salt since more recently Gurman hasn’t brought it up.

Another up-in-the-air rumor comes by the way of MacRumors, which found code in a beta version of iOS 17 that describes functionality for an action button like the one on the Apple Watch Ultra. Such a hardware addition would be a first for Apple, and the iPhone’s action button would be for more-phone-oriented tasks like shortcuts or triggering the camera shutter. We’ll have to wait until the 12th to find out.

Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2

In a less ambitious update, it seems the next regular Apple Watch will likely be a relatively modest year-over-year iteration of the Apple Watch Series 8. The Series 9 could come in a new color. As reported by MacRumors, based on a post by X/Twitter user ShrimpApplePro, the Apple Watch Series 9 might come in a new pink color.

The Series 9 will likely be powered by a new S9 chip, which Bloomberg’s Gurman, posting to his Power On Discord channel back in May, described as bringing improvements to performance and efficiency. That’s another way of saying the battery life might be better.

The Apple Watch Ultra could see a second-generation version. The rugged watch debuted last year, and a new version could bring a faster chip and come in a black titanium finish, according to an X/Twitter post by ShrimpApplePro. A black version of the Ultra could look amazing!

All right, let’s talk about everything else.

Potpourri and wrap-up

The AirPods case could see a new version with a USB-C connector. iOS 17 and WatchOS 10 will likely get an official release date. And I can’t imagine that Apple would pass up a chance to update everyone on its Vision Pro headset that was announced in June at WWDC.

Obviously, until Tim Cook and crew walk onto that stage in the Steve Jobs Theater and make their announcements, we won’t know anything for certain.

The iPhone 15 Event Could Leave Some Apple Fans Sour

Commentary: A number of changes rumored for the iPhone 15 — including higher costs — may stir up gripes from customers. Apple may need to approach its September event differently to sweeten the pitch.

Apple is having its next big event on Sept. 12, and we’re expecting the company to reveal the new iPhone 15 models.

But this year, customers who want the best iPhone might be paying more than ever before. Analysts report the cost of the Pro models will be increasing by $100 to $200. Add to that the cost of new charging accessories some households will need to buy, because the iPhone’s long proprietary Lightning port is reported to be replaced by USB-C.

In this week’s episode of One More Thing, embedded above, we review the changes reported to come to the iPhone 15 that could leave some Apple fans feeling sour — and how Apple may need to spin extra marketing magic in this presentation to persuade longtime customers to upgrade.

People might feel peeved at more than just the price tag. The best camera is reported to only be on the most expensive, plus-size model. Customers may be juggling multiple cords in the home with a charging port change. A reported new side button gives pundits something new to poke at. Add to that questions looming over the future of the Vision Pro, and there is potential for more criticism at this iPhone event than previous years.

Apple teased this event with the tagline Wonderlust. But can Apple find a way to give customers a vision of future tech that is worthy of the name? In recent years, Apple executives have moved away from doing product reveals on stage in front of a live audience. Now the company will be showing us if it can still spark wonder and awe in its fan base with safe, pre-recorded presentations.

Apple Watch Ultra 2: 5 Features I Hope Are Revealed at the Apple Event

Apple Watch Ultra 2 features that would take the user experience to the next level if released.

Apple’s next major event is set for Sept. 12, and it’s likely we’ll see a new iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9 and possibly the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra. I’ve been wearing the current Ultra for almost a year, and it’s without doubt the best Apple Watch money can buy. But there are features I’d really like to see in the next version.

The public beta of WatchOS 10 previews some Apple Watch Ultra updates like topographic maps and support for Bluetooth accessories including power meter pedals. These additions go a long way to help the Apple Watch Ultra stand out as a top-tier smartwatch, though I hope we get even more safety- and sports-focused options on the Ultra 2.

Two sizes to suit more wrists
I love wearing sports and outdoor watches, but sometimes they can be too big for everyday wear. I have a relatively small wrist measuring 152mm, and though I don’t think the 49mm Ultra looks or feels too hefty, it will likely overwhelm anyone with a smaller wrist. Another size option could go a long way to opening up the Ultra’s appeal to people who want a rugged watch with a smaller case size.

The Apple Watch Series comes in a number of different finishes, so why not the Ultra? Currently, the titanium Ultra is available in only one color. Rumors surfaced about a darker titanium finish, which I think would pair nicely with the midnight ocean band Apple currently sells.

Emergency SOS via Satellite on the Apple Watch
A standout iPhone 14 feature is Emergency SOS via Satellite that lets you message with an emergency dispatcher even when you’re out of cellular range. The new safety tool has already saved lives, so it makes sense to bring it to the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Hopefully, you’d never need to use Emergency SOS via Satellite, but for people who use the Ultra as an outdoors adventure watch, it would be an incredibly valuable safety feature.

WatchOS 10 supports SOS waypoints in the compass app, so you can visually see the last spot you had a cell signal. But this requires you to track back to that last location. The Ultra already has a built-in siren that can audibly alert passersby to your location, as well as fall detection and Emergency SOS that works when you have cell service. So it seems like a logical include for additional off-grid safety tools like satellite connectivity to the Ultra 2.

A built-in flashlight for extra safety
All Apple Watches have a screen-based flashlight you can turn on from the Control Center. If you’re like me and walk or run when it gets dark, it’s not as practical to have the entire screen taken up with this light because then you can’t use it to see anything else, like your workout stats. I’d love to see a built-in flashlight that can illuminate the path in front of you.

The Garmin Fenix 7 Pro series has a similar built-in LED, and it’s a valuable safety tool. You can adjust the brightness level, change the color to a red light or even strobe or pulse the light to alert others to your location.

Slimmer bezels and a new processor
A key Apple Watch Ultra design element is its flat screen. But if you use anything other than a watch face with a black background, you can see some of the bezel around the display’s edge. To really capitalize on the 49mm case size I’d love to see a true edge-to-edge display that goes right up to the case.

Like my colleague Lisa Eadiccico speculated in her Apple Watch Series 9 wishlist, I would also love to see the always-on display do more than it can now. One of the most frequent requests I get from CNET readers and viewers is help in finding a watch that can show a seconds count on the display at all times. A newer processor might make something like this possible, but that’s only speculation at this stage.

Recovery metrics to help you train better
The Apple Watch tracks a bevy of health and fitness stats like VO2 Max, sleep quality, blood oxygen levels and heart rate variability. I’d love to see the Apple Watch Ultra 2 interpret all those metrics by giving us some recovery metrics like other sports and endurance watches.

This could be as simple as guidance to help you identify if a bad night’s sleep will impact your training readiness the next day. Visually, I’d love to see something like an extra ring in the Activity app that shows if you’re ready to tackle a workout or how “charged” you are based on the previous day’s activity and night’s sleep. Maybe even throw in some customized suggestions for workouts you might want to try from Fitness+ based on your readiness.

Similar features already exist on other sports watches. Garmin has the Body Battery to indicate how your body is coping with a training routine, while Polar shows metrics like cardio and muscle load after a workout. Fitbit’s Daily Readiness Score ranks your readiness out of 100 and surfaces some workouts you might want to try depending on the score.

Save the Date: Apple Officially Announces iPhone 15 Event ‘Wonderlust’

We expect to see the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9 and more at the company’s annual fall event.

Apple sent out invites Tuesday for its fall launch event, where we expect to see the iPhone 15 and several other devices revealed. The “Wonderlust” event will be Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. PT.

This falls within Apple’s usual timeline of holding its iPhone launch event in mid-to-late September. Last year’s event for the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Ultra was held Sept. 7, 2022, for instance.

The iPhone 15 will likely be the marquee device revealed. We expect to see four models released this year: a standard and larger Plus in the lower tier, and a more advanced Pro and Pro Max in the pricier tier.

It’s never quite clear what else will launch alongside each year’s iPhone, though in the last several years a new Apple Watch, AirPods and standard iPad have been shown off at these events.

There’s one new device that will almost certainly make an appearance: the Apple Vision Pro. The AR/VR headset, revealed at WWDC 2023 in June, isn’t expected to start arriving in Apple stores and shipping to customers until early 2024. So don’t expect it to get an early release this fall. But we’d be surprised if Apple didn’t take the opportunity to hype its next exciting advance in personal technology — even if businesses will likely be the only ones to foot the headset’s wallet-melting $3,500 price.

We could also see more announcements for Apple’s services, with new additions to Music, TV Plus, Fitness and iCloud.

What other products we’ll see Sept. 12 — and that will be available to buy before the holidays — is a bit tougher to determine. Here are our best guesses for what Apple will show off on its stage.

Reading the Apple tea leaves
As previously stated, we’re confident that Apple will follow tradition and release a new phone lineup (iPhone 15) and watch series (Apple Watch Series 9). The company could still throw a few curveballs within those lineups, though.

The iPhone 15 is heavily rumored to switch to USB-C this year across all models. Only the pricier Pro and Pro Max models will get a new A16 bionic chipset, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said, while the standard iPhone 15 and Plus models will use the A15 chip that came in last year’s premium iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models. This follows Apple’s new tradition of only giving the top-tier models the newest mobile chipsets. On the upside, the standard models are expected to swap out the notch for the multipurpose Dynamic Island.

There’s been no hint of a new iPhone SE, with the third and most recent model of Apple’s affordable phone line launching in March 2022, so we wouldn’t expect a new one at this year’s fall launch event.

We expect to see the Apple Watch Series 9, though the latest rumors suggest we’ll only get new processors and fresh colors — but not the glucose monitoring that earlier leaks suggested might be coming. It’s not clear if we’ll get new versions of the Apple Watch Ultra or iPhone SE (second generation), which debuted and were refreshed last year, respectively.

It’s also a pretty safe bet to expect a new standard iPad, since the model has been refreshed every year since 2017. A new iPad Air is unlikely, as the line was last refreshed in March 2022. Similarly, new versions of the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with M2 chips came out in October 2022. It has been two years since the last iPad Mini came out in 2021, but that series hasn’t been updated as regularly as other models in recent years.

Further down Apple’s product line, it’s harder to tell what might come and what may wait for early 2024 and beyond. We could see some unexpected launches, but with the Vision Pro taking the spotlight, it doesn’t seem like Apple needs much more than its darling headset to wow its faithful flock. That said, Apple built a reputation on last-minute surprises, so we’ll always hold out for One More Thing.

Your Apple Watch Band Is Filthy, Study Says. How To Clean It Now

Sanitize your germ-ridden wristband now.

If you wear a smartwatch or fitness tracker daily, do you regularly sanitize the band? If not, this will convince you: a scientific study published in May examined 20 different smart wristbands and found 95% were contaminated with harmful bacteria that can cause infections.

The paper detailed how researchers tested smartwatch and fitness tracker bands worn by 20 random, anonymous people. The bands were rubber, plastic, cloth, metal and leather. As the paper pointed out, we wear our watches and fitness trackers while working out, swimming, holding pets, eating, using the bathroom, showering and sleeping, and yet we do not often sanitize them.

Of the 20 watch bands, researchers found that 85% had Staphylococcus aureus (Staph aureus), 60% had Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 30% had Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria present. Rubber and plastic bands had the highest rates of harmful bacteria on them, while metallic gold and silver bands had the lowest, as published earlier by 9to5Mac.

The researchers concluded that “wristbands, often worn daily without routine cleaning, may accumulate potentially pathogenic bacteria.” They labeled the issue as being “of public health significance,” adding that infections could be avoided if we sanitized our watch bands more often (or at all).

Luckily for us, they also researched how to clean the bacteria off.

How to sanitize your smartwatch band
Here’s how to clean your germ-ridden fitness tracker and smartwatch wristbands:

Take your watch off your wrist.
Grab either Lysol Disinfectant Spray or a 70% Ethanol cleaner, like those little alcohol wipes. The researchers also tested apple cider vinegar, but found it was not effective on Staph aureus, even after 5 minutes of cleaning.
Wipe your watch band. Then keep wiping. Lysol and 70% alcohol killed 99.99% of E. coli, Staph aureus and P. aeruginosa after 30 seconds of contact.
If you’ve got a plastic wristband, keep wiping for 2 minutes. The researchers found that 30 seconds of exposure to Lysol or 70% Ethanol wasn’t enough to kill harmful bacteria on plastic bands.
How often do you need to do this? The paper didn’t specify, beyond saying it should be “regular.”

Or you could just switch to a metal band, in particular one made of gold. And do not wear a plastic one if you’re germ conscious.

iPad Pro Overhaul Reportedly to Include OLED Display, Revamped Magic Keyboard

The lineup’s first major makeover in nearly half a decade will also bring M3 chips to the tablet, Bloomberg reports.

Apple reportedly plans to overhaul its iPad Pro lineup next year with OLED displays and a revamped Magic Keyboard.

The revamp — the first major makeover of the line of tablets in half a decade — is intended to reinvigorate consumer interest and clear up confusion in the lineup, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported Sunday. Gurman notes that the iPad generates the least amount of revenue among Apple’s major products.

The lineup will, for the first time, sport OLED screens instead of the Mini-LED display tech that’s also been used in Apple’s MacBook Pros, Gurman writes. The models are expected to come in 11- and 13-inch displays, slightly larger than the current 12.9 inches, he wrote.

The new lineup is also expected to be powered by Apple’s rumored M3 chip, Gurman writes. Apple launched its M chips to power the company’s line of MacBooks, Macs and iPads in 2020 after years of using Intel processors.

The tablets will also sport an updated Magic Keyboard that will help the iPad perform more like a laptop, along with the addition of a larger trackpad — addressing a complaint about the tablet, Gurman writes. The Magic Keyboard, which was announced in 2020, doubles as both a keyboard and an adjustable stand.

While Apple is expected to hold a launch event in the coming weeks that will likely focus on a new a iPhone and Watch, Gurman doesn’t expect the new iPads to be unveiled until the spring or early summer 2024.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Don’t Get Caught Up in Apple Watch X Hype Before Series 9

Apple Watch Series 9 has the potential to be a noteworthy update with reports of better battery life, but rumors of the 2024 model are stealing the spotlight.

It can be hard for Apple Watch Series owners to know when is the right time to invest in an upgraded model. Year after year, Apple makes small improvements to the Series lineup — and older models hold up very well throughout the years.

But as Apple is expected to reveal the Apple Watch Series 9 in just a few weeks, the second-guessing and concerns about buyer’s remorse are amped up with lots of buzz around what Apple might be working on for 2024 and the 10th anniversary of its wrist wearable: The Apple Watch X.

The headliner feature of the X (pronounced “ten”) could be a form of blood pressure monitoring, as reported by Bloomberg. But it may not release as a tool that could replace a traditional measurement from a cuff — or could it?

In this week’s episode of One More Thing, embedded above, I highlight the rumors and reported features coming to both the Series 9 and Series X watches — and why you don’t have to have stress if you want to upgrade now.

The Series 9 is reported by Bloomberg to have an improved processor that could help boost battery life, and there’s buzz that a new pink color could be in the mix. (Apple is reportedly working on a blood glucose monitor for a future Apple Watch, but it’s not expected to be ready yet.)

As for the buzz on Series X, the report mentions potential design tweaks: thinner casing, new microLED display for the screen and bands that could attach differently, possibly with magnets. It also is expected to have a sensor for pressure monitoring. It’s a feature Bloomberg reported Apple was working on for years now, and it’s been challenging to test. To get a sense of the current development of wrist-worn blood pressure monitoring, we can look to how other companies are tackling the tech.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 can track blood pressure outside the US, but you need to calibrate it with an actual blood pressure monitor cuff first.

The Omron HeartGuide, released in 2018, is a smartwatch that achieves a real measurement with an inflating cuff that pressurizes over the wrist. It received FDA clearance but costs a steep $500. CNET’s Scott Stein reviewed the Omron HeartGuide and found it to give measurements that matched up with the readings from his doctor. He said blood pressure monitoring could be the next big frontier for wearable tech, “but in its current form, it won’t be for everyone yet.”

So can it be done without a cuff? Maybe. Valencell introduced a clip-on finger-based blood pressure measurement device at CES 2023. It looks a lot light a portable pulse oximetry device, and Stein demoed it at CES by using his middle figure for a blood pressure spot check on the show floor.

The tech is still pretty tricky to get right, so it’s hard to say to what degree this tech could show up in a 2024 Apple Watch. I wouldn’t hold your breath for something that can replace a doctor visit from an Apple Watch. But when you tell me the Series 9 could include a better processor to squeeze out more battery life? Now that’s a feature people can get excited about now.

But since nothing is official, we’ll have to wait to see what Apple actually unveils next month. Apple hasn’t given any clues yet, but it’s widely expected we’ll see the Series 9 the same day Apple reveals the iPhone 15 — and pundits are pointing to Sept. 12 as the day that could happen.

iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Rumored to Include Gray and Blue Colors

This year’s premium iPhones may drop gold and purple in favor of chillier colors — and sell the phones in titanium too.

A new iPhone 15 rumor suggests the two premium phones, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, will come in a pair of new signature colors: gray and blue.

In addition to traditional black and silver, in most years, Apple changes out the more unique colors for its phones. Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max came in gold and purple hues; this year’s premium handsets will come in “Titan Gray” and a dark blue, unnamed sources told 9to5Mac.

The rumor also suggested that the higher-end phones will be offered in titanium (like the Apple Watch Ultra) instead of stainless steel.

This follows another leak earlier this week suggesting what colors Apple’s cheaper iPhones could come in. An Apple leaker who goes by @URedditor on X (formerly Twitter) posted (formerly tweeted) that this year’s baseline iPhone 15 will come in a range of colors: pink (in a rose gold or blush gold hue), green, blue, yellow, black and possibly even orange. The leaker noted that “we should see at least some of these,” suggesting that several may not make the final list.

Last year’s iPhone 14 came in five different colors at launch — midnight (black), starlight (silver), pastel purple, light blue and a special red hue for Project Red — with yellow arriving back in March this year.

Apple hasn’t publicly announced when its iPhone event will be, but since its fall showcase typically lands in the middle or end of September, we’re likely only weeks away from all the products about to be revealed by the tech giant. A new range of iPhones will top the event, but we also expect the Apple Watch Series 9 and possibly new models in other product families, like iPads or AirPods.

Apple Watch Could Change Color to Match What You’re Wearing in Future

A newly published patent suggests that the Apple Watch could transform its color to match any object you want.

The Apple Watch currently boasts customization features such as colorful watch straps and changeable watch faces. But the Apple Watch of the future could someday give personalisation a futuristic twist.

A patent from the tech giant, published Wednesday, proposes giving you more control over the design of your watch face by enabling it to match almost anything you want. In theory, this could mean holding an object of choice over the Apple Watch display (say your T-shirt), pushing a button to activate the sensor and then witnessing the watch face color change to match your hue of choice.

More specifically, a future Apple Watch could have a color sampling sensor behind the display, according to the Electronic Devices With Color Sampling Sensors patent. It could determine the color of an object by shining different lights on it and seeing how much light is reflected back, according to the document. The device then uses the “corresponding light reflectance data” to adjust the color of its display to match the object.

Currently, the Apple Watch lets you change the color of elements such as the hour and minutes hands, for example. But you can’t change every single element on the Watch face, nor do all faces have the ability to change color.

“The color may be … matched to the color of an external object such as a watch band, a piece of clothing, or any other suitable external object,” the patent filing says. “This color sampling process may allow the user to customize the appearance of [the Watch] display so that the color scheme on display … matches with the user’s watch band, clothing, or other item.”

The patent also suggests that the color sampling sensor could be used on other jewelry worn by the user, such as rings, necklaces, earrings or bracelets. As with any Apple patent, it doesn’t guarantee the tech giant will release such a feature, but it shows that the company is interested in exploring it.

This patent was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office in August 2020, but just published on Wednesday. In a similar vein, Apple has previously been granted a patent for a color-changing Apple Watch band that could be controlled with an iPhone app.