Apple iPhone 7 launch: Everything to expect on 7 September

Apple is holding a media event on 7 September. As far as press coverage goes, it will likely be the biggest technology event of 2016 and where we will first see the new iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and a range of headphones.

Headphones will take centre stage here because, controversially, the iPhone 7 will not have a headphone socket.

Instead, headphones must be connected either wirelessly or via the Lightning port. To help ease this transition, Apple will include an adapter in the box allowing regular headphones to be connected to the iPhone 7's power port.

The event will takes place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, a 50-minute drive from Apple's headquarters at Cupertino.

Chief executive Tim Cook will start the presentation at 10am local time (6pm BST) and it is expected to last for between 90 and 120 minutes.

Thanks to the usual leaks, rumours and gossip, here is what we expect to see:

iPhone 7

A dead-cert, no-brainer. The iPhone 7 will be revealed at this press conference. Apple announced the iPhone 6 and 6S during this second week of September the last two years, so of course the iPhone 7 will arrive then too.

It will share a very similar design to its two predecessors, saving a major overhaul for 2017, when the Apple phone will celebrate its tenth anniversary. The general look, shape and size of the iPhone will remain unchanged, apart from the unsightly antenna lines, some of which will be removed.

The removal of the headphone jack could make the iPhone 7 slightly thinner than the 6 and 6S. It will also be available in a new colour, a black which is darker than Space Grey and more like the black Apple Watch.

Apple will, finally, remove the 16GB storage option. We are not sure exactly what the lineup will look like, but it should start at either 32 or 64GB and run all the way up to either 128GB or an iPad Pro-match 256GB.

One of the murkier rumours is that the iPhone 7's Home button will not click. Instead it will be touch sensitive Haptic feedback will buzz your finger or thumb to let you know it has been pressed, augmenting the click itself.

As always, the new iPhone will be faster and more powerful than ever before. Less clear is whether the new model will finally get official water resistance, a rumoured blue colour option and wireless charging. These would all be welcome, but seem fairly unlikely at this stage.

iPhone 7 Plus

The larger iPhone 7 Plus will retain the same 5.5in screen as the iPhone 6S Plus (as opposed to the 4.7in iPhone 6S and 7), but will receive an all-new rear camera with two lenses.

This camera, as is teased by the event invitation, will produce images with a greater depth of field, giving them a "bokeh" effect, where objects in the background or foreground can be moved out of focus. The dual lens could also work to emulate a proper optical zoom, rarely seen on smartphones.

The iPhone 7 Plus could also benefit from a 256GB storage option (if this doesn't come to the iPhone 7) and the inclusion of the same three-pinned Smart Connector as the iPad Pro. Through this, accessories like a keyboard dock could be attached.

Unlike what previous rumours claimed, Apple will not launch a third handset called the iPhone Pro. Instead, the features of this phone will be included in the 7 Plus.

AirPods

The iPhones will comes with a pair of wired EarPod headphones in the box, which now connect to the Lightning port. But Apple is tipped to have more headphones in production; one, called AirPods, will be a wireless, rechargeable version of the EarPods already on sale.

Beats headphone range

As well as the AirPods, Apple will reveal a range of new Beats-branded headphones. An email accidentally sent out from the Beats PR team on 1 September read: "A selection of new Beats by Dre products will be unveiled." It is likely that the new range will include some wireless and some Lightning headphones, at various prices. In all, we expect to see three models revealed on 7 September.

Watch 2 or Watch S

A new Apple Watch is in the works, but it isn't yet clear if it will be revealed alongside the iPhone 7 or not. The original Watch shared the stage with the iPhone 6 back in 2014, then arrived in stores some six months later. We expect the lead time to be much shorter this time, but can't say for sure if the new Watch will arrive in time for Christmas.

The latest gossip suggests the new Watch will be an interim update (a Watch S, if you like) and will look broadly the same as the current model. Updates are said to include a faster processor, GPS, and a "noticeably thinner" glass display. This means the screen will be the same size, but the depth of the glass and the thickness of the Watch will be reduced.

iOS 10

Apple will reveal the final version of iOS 10, its latest software update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. We already know what to expect here and have covered it several times already. New features include revised Control and Notification centres, plus a new Home app, the ability to delete Apple's own apps, and much more. iOS 10 will be made available later in September, just before the iPhone 7 goes on sale.

watchOS 3

It's the same story with watchOS 3. Here the Watch gets its biggest software update yet, making it much, much faster and introducing a new Dock to help make switching between apps quicker and easier.

macOS Sierra

Another piece of software we have seen before, macOS Sierra will also be finished in time for the 7 September event. Aside from some visual and performance upgrades, the biggest feature here is how Siri is coming to Macs for the first time.

As with iOS 10 and watchOS 3, macOS Sierra will be shown off here but not made available to the general public for another couple of weeks.