Apple Store website CRASHES ahead of the iPhone 15 launch event
By Shivali Best For Mailonline12:19 12 Sep 2023, updated 12:46 12 Sep 2023
- The Apple Store website has gone down ahead of the iPhone 15 launch event
- READ MORE: How to watch as Apple unveils its flagship smartphones today
While users can usually browse an array of devices when visiting the website, they're now greeted with a disclaimer that reads: 'Be right back.
'We're making updates to the Apple Store. Check back soon.'
A blue and grey version of the Apple logo is also displayed, hinting that the outage is linked to the iPhone 15 launch.
The event, titled Wanderlust, will take place in Cupertino, California, at 10:00 PT (18:00 BST).
While Apple has made no mention of a new iPhone, the company has revealed a new device every year around autumn for over a decade now.
Apple will be livestreaming the event on its website later today.
MailOnline will also be covering it live, so make sure you check back in for all the latest Apple action.
As for when the iPhone 15 will actually hit the shelves, Apple insider Mark Gurman thinks the release will come less than two weeks after the event.
He said he's been told by an unnamed source that it will go on sale on September 22, which means Apple will 'get about a week of iPhone 15 sales in its fiscal fourth quarter'.
Apple is expected to unveil four variations of the iPhone 15 – the standard iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and what may or may not be called the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
According to leaker Andrew O'Hara, Apple has decided to change the name of the iPhone Pro Max (the top end version) to 'iPhone Ultra'.
Whatever its name, it's still considered one of its two 'Pro' models, meaning it will have more power and greater capabilities – as well as a higher price-tag.
A few features will be exclusive to the higher-end versions, although the biggest design tweaks will likely come to the entire iPhone 15 family.
Gurman says the iPhone 15 'promises to be the biggest update to the device in three years' – since the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020.
The biggest change to the iPhone 15 will be a new USB-C charging port, which is already commonly used for Android phones, laptops and more.
Apple has made the switch to USB-C and away from its own charging design called Lightning (discernible by its eight pins) due to an EU law.
The new legislation aims to make a single charging design the common standard – and ultimately reduce electronic waste.
Apple has effectively been forced to make this design change due to the EU law, although it technically could have manufactured iPhones with Lightning ports if they were sold in non-EU countries.
Along with a new charging port, the iPhone 15 will support faster charging speeds of up to 35W - significantly more than the iPhone 14, which has a charging speed of just 20W, another leaker claims.
This means the upcoming smartphone could charge from 0 to 100 per cent in just one hour, saving precious time for users if they're in a hurry.
Other details about Apple's new flagship have been gradually leaked based on insider knowledge and clues from 'dummy units' (accurate models given to third parties to design their phone accessories).
The iPhone 15 will allegedly have curvier edges, so it fits better in the hand, and titanium frames instead of stainless steel.
The back of the new phone, meanwhile, is covered with matt glass rather than polished glass, according to one YouTuber who accessed dummy units.
It's possible that the design of the Apple logo in the official promo image is a nod to the new materials.
While Apple is not expecting to increase the size of the iPhone's screen this year, it will shrink the border that goes around the edge – known as the 'bezel'.
Gurman has claimed the border size around the display will be 1.5 millimeters, down from about 2.2 millimeters on current iPhones.
Long term, Apple wants to release an iPhone that is 'truly all-screen' with no borders around the display and no cutouts for cameras or sensors, he says – and iPhone 15 is a step towards that goal.
Apple has already filed a patent for an all-glass phone, which may indicate the secretive company's longer-term plans.
According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu based in Hong Kong, the two iPhone 15 Pro models will be more expensive than previous iPhone Pros.
Apple has raised the prices for the Pros this year due to big hardware updates, including the titanium frame and the A17 Bionic chip, he claims.
Although Pu didn't reveal exact price-tags, it's worth noting that last year's iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively.
Tim Long, an analyst at Barclays, also expects price hikes for the two more expensive iPhone 15 models, while the standard and Plus models will be about the same as last year.
Apple has yet to launch a foldable smartphone like its rivals Samsung and Motorola, but the tech giant could be working on a rollable iPhone that would be the first-ever.
A new patent describes a device that looks like a fruit roll-up with a thin screen that bends around an axis when stored away.
The roll-up iPhone would have a protective layer of glass over the display to protect it from scratches and other damages as it rolled and unrolled.
The document also suggested adding coatings to the outer layer, such as anti-smudge, anti-fog, antireflection, and anti-static layers.
Apple is set to launch its iPhone 15 in September, so if the company does release a rollable smartphone, it will not be until 2024 - at the earliest.
