"What's next?"

For Apple fans, aficionados and general techies, September is a month associated with new products and software updates for all things Apple. Over the last few years, Apple's September 'launch events' have witnessed the birth of:

• iPhone
• iPod Nano
• iPod Shuffle
• iTunes
• iPod Touch
• Apple TV
• Apple Pay
• Apple Watch

So as you can see, this is one of the biggest events of the calendar year and this years event seems to be no exception!

Whilst Apple do all they can to ensure a high level of secrecy around what may or may not be launched or shown, rumours are what keeps the mill turning but before we get to the specifics Apple added a nice touch the upcoming proceedings by inally using their (until recently) dormant @Apple twitter account. It used to feature a simple egg as it's default profile picture, no cover photo and a grand total of ZERO tweets. Well, that was until today when suddenly the account sprung to life with an official Apple logo and arty cover photo (but still no tweet - you can be sure they're saving that for the 7th!).

In a simple move, @Apple had gained 145k followers - without needing to tweet a single message - by 3:30PM the same day. A hugely effective PR move that underlines Apple's attention to detail and that nothing goes to waste.

So here is where we turn to the educated guesses of the tech minded populi and ask:
"What's next?"

1. iPhone 7
   Whilst it's not likely to look much different compared to it's predecessor, the iPhone 7 will almost definitely have a few subtle changes to the aesthetics as well as the likely removal of the traditional 3.5mm jack headphone port. That means headphones will connect either through lightning cable or wirelessly across bluetooth. Another simple change predicted is the change from a perusable 'home' button and instead a fully haptic button recreating the sensation of a button press. One less thing to go wrong, no more sticky home buttons!
2. Apple Watch
   "I feel the need...the need for speed!" And that is what the Apple Watch's main upgrade will be - the new watchOS 3 will be speedier, more reliable and have more WiFi integrations than before. Alongside these changes we're likely to see new band designs and options, better water resistance and even fully integrated GPS - making it that little bit more self-contained will make all the difference.
3. New OS for everyone?
   Well, yes and no. Like we mentioned above the Apple Watch is almost certainly getting an update, El Capitan OS X will be updated and renamed MacOS Sierra but whether that comes about in time for September 7th, we will have to wait and see. A new iOS and tvOS will get rolled out in a weeks time but only with minor tweaks and upgrades so don't set your hopes too high.

In comparison to previous years it might not be quite as mouth watering but these changes are almost certainly the foundation from which next years big launch will leap forth. It will be, after all, the iPhone's 10 year anniversary!

Our personal highlight, here at Maven, are all the small things you can't predict. The tweaks, touches and moments of brilliance that you never see coming but wonder how you ever managed without them, after all IT should work for you, not against you.