The New York Times just published a very authoritative and fairly exciting report on what Apple will be announcing next week. You guessed it: two new iPhones with larger screen sizes and a wearable computer (a.k.a. an iWatch.) But there are plenty of details we hadn't heard yet.
It was already a big day for Apple news after The Wall Street Journal dropped a bomb of a story reporting that Apple would indeed announce an NFC-enabled iWatch that comes in two sizes. The Times report confirms both of these details, apparently from more sources. And when these two papers agree on something like this, you can probably assume that they're right.
As for juicy details beyond the two sizes of both devices, and wireless payments being a reality? There are a few beyond what we already thought we knew about the iPhone and about the iWatch. This nugget about the iWatch from the Times piece, for instance, is neat:
[The wearable] has a flexible display panel that is protected by a cover composed of sapphire, a type of tougher glass, they said. The device's circuit board, which includes its sensors and chips, was described as tiny, about the size of a postage stamp.
The report continues with an indication that Apple has opted for wireless charging, which is surprising given that Apple rarely embraces standards and technologies that aren't sufficiently refined. Just look at how long it took the Cupertino kids to incorporate NFC. Wireless charging is sort of catching on, but it's far from flawless or universal. Which might be why Apple apparently even, according to the NYT, experimented with solar:
For replenishing the battery, the smartwatch will rely on a wireless charging method. Apple had at one point tested solar charging for the watch, but that experiment failed.
And this little detail about how Apple—or rather iOS 8—will deal with typing on the larger 5.5-inch iPhone display is also kind of cool:
To deal with concerns that a bigger phone will make typing with one hand difficult (the current iPhone has a 4-inch screen), some changes to the design of the iPhones' software interface will allow people to type or use apps with just one hand — there will be a one-handed mode that can be switched on and off, two employees said.
Finally, you can type and walk and drink coffee and listen to music and wear a computer on your wrist all at the same time!
We'll know for certain what Apple has in store for us next Tuesday, where we'll be liveblogging from the event starting at 1PM ET/10AM PT. It sounds like it should be quite a show.