As expected, today Apple invited press to an event scheduled for September 12. New versions of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods are anticipated. Maybe next month, like Steve Jobs said in 2007, Apple will "reinvent the phone." But rumors of the latest iteration of iPhone suggest more modest improvements. And what about the iPad or Mac? While new software for those is slated to arrive this Fall, it's unclear when new hardware will appear. I'm interested to see what's next, but I'm not too excited. Frankly, Apple hardware available now is already great.

All is well

About two months ago, I was able to sell my iPhone 11 and buy a used iPhone 12 mini; it's super! Then this month, I traded in my old iPhone 8 Plus, still in good shape, so Apple credited me $85 for it. I thought I'd put that towards upgrading one of my other Apple devices. But I really don't need to replace anything at the moment. Maybe next month's splashy iPhone showcase will tempt me otherwise. But based on speculated pending features, I doubt I'll be swayed.

Small step or giant leap

Perhaps the biggest yet most boring upgrade to be coming is...a changed port. Most know Apple has used a proprietary Lightning port on iPhone for years. It's good. But it's different from every other port on every other device outside of Apple. Now it's said Apple will switch to USB-C. And as ho-hum as that may sound, it's one of the best new things I'm looking forward to. Why? Because almost all my other devices (even my MacBook M1) use it to charge. I've written before that it's time to USB-C all the things!

So what else might get folks excited, a braided charging cable? Mmmmm, I don't think so. Slightly more rounded edges? Ah, no, not really. A little bit faster processor? Nah.

How about a periscope camera? Now that sounds like...maybe. If it extends the optical zoom range from 3x to around 8x or 10x, that could be impressive. But I think it's also an advanced camera feature that most people don't want or need. Of course, Apple would showcase it with photos taken in optimal lighting conditions managed by pro photographers. What is shown will represent the best case possibilities; your results might vary.

Invitation from Apple.

Lust for wonder

Whatever else may be in the pipeline, what really sells the newest hardware from Apple is often not a single grand feature. Instead, it's typically a handful of mildly improved hardware advancements combined with several new or improved software capabilities. Added altogether and expertly marketed, it makes the newest gadgets compelling.

This is how Apple makes your excellent one-year old iPhone suddenly lose its luster. You lust for the new model and wonder how you'll live without it. The tagline for Apple's upcoming event, "Wonderlust," seems apt.

The wow factor

A year ago, with the same annual event on the horizon, I decided to ignore it. That was atypical of me, counter-cultural for a tech geek. This year, though, I plan to give Apple a chance to 'wow' me like it did in the early years of the iPhone. I think that's why many nerds still get excited after all these years of clockwork iterative updates. We miss that former wonder. It's something Apple's been known for: to surprise and delight. Who doesn't want that?

One of the last times many jaws dropped and eyes widened by Apple was the announcement of the M1 chip in the MacBook Air (on which I'm typing now) in late 2020. Its too-good-to-be-true long battery life plus huge power increase over the previous Intel chips was mind-boggling. It was a rare time when the term "game-changing" truly applied. It's this kind of dramatic reveal that Apple is known for and which fans still wish to see (every quarter if possible).

I don't think the September event will offer such a surprise. And in retrospect, I don't think the Apple Vision announcement this past June (at WWDC23) delivered that level of 'wow.' The tech was no doubt impressive. But the surrounding questions and concerns about the need for it and the sticker-shock price of it stifled most potential excitement. Also: What's a Spatial Computer?

In any case, the next Apple event has been announced. There's a chance to be wowed, but we'll just have to wait.