iPhone 13 series is likely to launch sometime this month and the latest information from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman offers details on what the annual Apple fall launch event may introduce. The event is likely to bring the iPhone 13 range and the Apple Watch Series 7. While reports indicated smartwatch production delays, Gurman says that the wearable will still be announced at the event. Availability is reported to be in limited quantities or delayed for certain models. Gurman also says that the iPhone 13’s anticipated satellite feature will only be available in select markets.
Gurman’s latest PowerOn newsletter hints that the new iPhone 13 will reportedly get the anticipated satellite feature. The report also suggests that the iPhone 13 may not get the feature immediately and the functionality is likely go live next year. While the hardware support will be embedded in the iPhone 13 range, the feature will not be rolled out for a few months. Gurman clarifies that the feature will not allow users to use the iPhone 13 as a satellite phone and have the ability to make calls anywhere in the world without cellular coverage.
He adds, “That’s not happening now, next year or anytime in the near future. Launching such a feature would require hardware not ready for prime time, would be expensive and could cause a revolt from the phone carriers that Apple relies on.” The new satellite feature will reportedly allow users to transmit short emergency texts and send SOS distress signals for crises, like plane crashes or sinking ships, in remote areas. The newsletter says that the emergency feature will only work in areas without any cellular coverage and only in select markets.
A video leak showing the ‘iPhone 13 Pro Max’ silicone MagSafe cases has also surfaced online. It was first posted by Twitter account @PinkDon1 but was later deleted. However, the video has surfaced through other accounts, and was spotted by MacRumors. MagSafe support was introduced with the iPhone 12 line-up, and it looks to trickle down to the iPhone 13 range as well, with new cases that will be compatible with the technology.
As for the Apple Watch Series 7, Gurman says that the wearable “this year won’t be about health upgrades — rather, the focus will be a new design with flatter edges, that new display and a new chip.” The smartwatch range is expected to come in 41mm and 45mm models, the display will be about 1.9-inch – a 20 percent to 30 percent larger screen than the predecessor. In a separate Bloomberg report, Gurman adds that the bigger model will have a resolution of 396×484 pixels i.e., about 16 percent more pixels. The smaller model is reported to see a similar jump, but both watches will have thinner borders around the screens.
Apple is also reported to be working on new watch faces for the Apple Watch Series 7. New watch faces include Modular Max, Continuum, world time watch faces called Atlas and World Timer, and new faces for its Hermes and Nike-branded Apple Watches. The Apple Watch Series 7 is reported to be announced during the September event, ‘but there will be a mix of the models shipping late or in small quantities’ due to production delays.
Will iPhone 12 mini become the affordable iPhone we’ve been waiting for? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.