APPLE experts believe more than ten popular gadgets could be axed after the company’s upcoming product launch event.
The iPhone maker is heavily rumoured to be planning its next big showcase for September 10.
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However, there have also been some suggestions the date could be moved so as not to clash with the Donald Trump and Kamala Harris debate.
Either way, September is traditionally when Apple unveils its brand new iPhone handsets, among other surprises.
Apple is expected to confirm the exact date any day now.
And as with any launch, it means that some older tech will be discontinued.
It’s important to note that any discontinued device you already own will still work and receive updates for now – it just means that nobody will be able to buy affected models or versions anymore.
Apple hasn’t confirmed exactly which gadgets will be withdrawn from shelves.
But Apple expert site 9to5Mac has come up with eleven possible departures based off previous release pattern behaviour and rumoured launches we can expect to see.
The event in September will almost certainly include the iPhone 16, but there’s also talk of new AirPods, some new Apple Watch models, which means we could see changes to the line-up for these three in particular.
Top of the list of discontinued iPhones is very likely to be the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
These two were only released last year as Apple’s first titanium iPhones.
But since the iPhone XS and XR in 2018, Apple has made a habit of ending production of the previous year’s flagship handset.
This move is probably because the new entries designed to replace them are too similar.
The site also believes that we could be waving goodbye to the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 13 too, as the model range shifts up.
Aside from iPhone, we could see two versions of the AirPods disappear as well.
It’s expected that the AirPods 2 may be going away after five years on sale.
And the AirPods 3, introduced in 2021 with Spatial Audio and improved audio quality, could be gone too, it’s claimed.
That’s if current speculation of new AirPods are to be believed.
Rumour has it there may be two new trims of AirPods 4, an entry level trim to replace the AirPods 2, as well as a mid-tier trim to replace AirPods 3.
If the tech giant refreshes its smartwatch line-up, it could be time to say farewell to three models including:
- Apple Watch Series 9
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
- Apple Watch SE 2
Finally, there could be new iPads on the way which could lead to the death of the iPad mini 6 and iPad 10.
Of course, these are just expert predictions for now and will be revealed next month by Apple officially when its full 2024 line-up is unveiled.
iPhone tricks to try today
Here are some of the best…
- Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
- Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
- Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
- Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
- Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
- Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
