APPLE’S PRODUCT RELEASE: How will it affect you?

An+iPhone+5s+and+Apples+iOS+8+preview+page+open+on+a+computer+are+pictured.+iOS+8+will+be+released+for+download+Wednesday%2C+Sept.+17.+Photo+by+Courtney+Strayer

An iPhone 5s and Apple’s iOS 8 preview page open on a computer are pictured. iOS 8 will be released for download Wednesday, Sept. 17. Photo by Courtney Strayer

Apple is scheduled to have a major product reveal tomorrow, Sept. 9 at 12* p.m. If you’re an Apple product user (outside of the school computers) what could this mean for you? If you’re due for an iPhone upgrade, it probably means you can get a newly-designed iPhone. If you are waiting for a software update (iOS 8), it means you’re most likely in luck. If you’re waiting for a totally new product category from Apple, it means you could be getting your wish.

While Apple is ultra-secretive about its product releases, we do know a few things: Apple’s invite to the product release said “Wish we could say more,” the date is Sept. 9 and Apple will be streaming the event live on its site. From there, it all becomes a guessing game, albeit a well-researched one with precedent. From here on, I will be speculating, so remember, we won’t know what Apple is going to release until Apple releases it.

The biggest possibility is a new generation of the iPhone, most likely called the iPhone 6. Apple releases a new iPhone every year, and September has been the month for the past two. What the iPhone(s?) will look like is up in the air. Most rumors have pointed toward a completely redesigned, thinner, faster iPhone with a bigger screen, thinner bezel and better camera along with a number of other specification improvements.

Apple will likely release an update to its 5c line of phones, as well, which would put the current iPhone 5s hardware in a plastic casing, just as it did with the original 5c (with the iPhone 5 hardware, of course).

If Apple releases a new iPhone tomorrow, will you be getting it?

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If Apple does release new iPhones, based off of Apple’s past model, they will be available for sale Friday, Sept. 19 (10 days after the press release, which is only one day different than Apple’s two previous releases).

Along with a new iPhone would come the full release of iOS 8, which was announced in June at WWDC. Most likely, the update would be released to iPhone owners Wednesday, Sept. 17 (again, based on precedent. Apple released its last software update the Wednesday before it released its iPhone).

iOS 8 comes with a slew of new features. After using the beta version for the past three months, the features I think Westsiders will enjoy most are the updates to messages, weather, notification center and the camera.

Messages app will have a few great fixes: first of all, group messages have been improved. Users will now be able to leave, add people to and name their group chats. Yes, that’s right, you will soon be able to leave group chats. Second, Apple has added an audio message feature. You can now simply swipe up from a small microphone icon, hold it while you talk, then hit send to let the person you are chatting with get an audio message. Apple also added the ability to share your location easily in a message.

The weather app added a simple but useful feature: 24 hours of weather instead of 12. In the notification center, users will be able to reply to messages and other notifications by simply swiping down from the banners at the top of the screen. Finally, in the camera, a photo timer was added (possibly the new selfie?) and a few new editing features were added. For more information on iOS 8, visit http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/.

Outside of the possibility of new iPhones and iOS 8, Apple could also release an “iWatch.”

The watch could have features that work in tandem with an iPhone and also give health data. If Apple did release the watch, for high schoolers, this could mean a useful tool for phone calls, messaging, music and working out.

There would also be intrigue in administration and teacher response. The rules for use in school could be a grey area. Would students have to leave the devices at home?

“I don’t think the device itself, whether it’s on your wrist, in your pocket [or] on your table makes a difference,” Westside Assistant Principal Jeff Wagner said. “It’s not about the device. It’s about is it a distractible item in the classroom, then I think teachers need to address that, and we already have policies in place.”

Wagner added that it might be easier, actually, to enforce technology rules with a watch.

“Kids can text without looking at their phones and text pretty darn good underneath the table or in their pocket, so having it on your wrist actually may be an advantage for us, so maybe that will be a good thing,” Wagner said.

Also, the devices could create new dangers to driving. Using the devices would most likely be outlawed while driving, but that won’t necessarily deter the average driver. Senior Oleg Biletsky said he would be more likely to use an iWatch than his iPhone while driving.

“The iWatch [would] only [be] introduced now, so because people have already seen what texting [while driving] has done, killed so many people [they know the dangers],” Biletsky said. “They wouldn’t know about the dangers of the iWatch, so they’d be more likely to use it.”

Apple could also update its iPad lines, although this isn’t likely, as Apple typically does this in October or November.

Finally, there is always the chance of a revolutionary new product, but don’t count on it.

All the secrecy will be over tomorrow, so check back to find out what big changes are coming to your pocket or wrist.

*Updated at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9: This story originally stated that the Apple event would start at 1 p.m. The event is actually starting at 12 p.m.