The Apple iPhone 6 event is tonight: here's the preview

We've been staring intently at the countdown timer for the Apple event, which starts in a few hours' time but before Apple exec take the stage it's time to summarize what we've seen of the upcoming handset and what (little) there is left unknown.

iPhone 6, the 4.7" one

We're most certain of this one – the new iPhone 6 will have a 4.7" screen and will look like a large iPod Touch. After so many leaks of various devices – both real components and even some convincing knock-offs. Last year we saw knock-offs nail the iPhone 5c design way before it came out so it won't be surprising if they nail the new design too. In fact with all the leaks aligning so perfectly, it will be more surprising if they don't.

At any rate Apple uses a design twice (original and S version) before moving no to the next one and it's right on schedule. The iPhone 5 brought a bigger, higher-res screen and now the iPhone 6 will make it even bigger. It will bump up the resolution to 960 x 1,704, 50% more pixels on the horizontal and the vertical, which will push the sharpness to the 400+ ppi range.

The new aluminum unibody is slated to be thinner – 7mm claim rumors (down from 7.6mm) but will remain light (virtually the same weight). From videos we've seen the new-found thinness will leave the camera module sticking out of the back.

    

Speaking of the camera, the most common rumor is of an 8MP shooter – for a fourth time in a row. When Sony uses its 20.7MP camera three times in a row we don't complain much, but 8MP is too low for a 2014 flagship, even HTC gave up on its low-resolution approach.

And there's no hint at 2160p video capture. True, it's not very useful right now but with UHD TVs becoming cheaper and cheaper Apple can't afford to wait much longer. A 128GB storage option is on the cards – it didn’t pan out in previous years but this time it's quite likely and it could have easily handled the increased video storage demands.

For a while there it seemed like Apple might drop the 32GB option and go for a base 16GB model and a premium 64GB version, presumably with a single $100 price bump in between.

The chipset will naturally get upgraded – no boastful numbers, a dual-core 2GHz processor is most likely but Apple makes its own high-performance beasts and optimizes iOS specifically for them. Interestingly the new iPhone 6 might bring 2GB RAM, which might turn out more important than CPU speed.

Yet another dedicated co-processor, Phosphorus, might debut with the new chipset. It will replace the M8 and focus on collecting health-statistics.

   

Apple will naturally take the opportunity to increase battery capacity to 1,810mAh (supposedly) to feed the bigger screen and faster chipset. The company has the luxury to optimize for battery life more so than Android manufacturers but Sony managed to cram a 2,600mAh battery in its 4.6" super mini while Samsung went with a 1,860mAh battery for the premium Galaxy Alpha.

So, what's left? Apple has steered clear of NFC, preferring its own Air Drop tech instead. Tech publications have been abuzz with talk of an Apple payment system though – turning your phone into your credit card and while the likes of Google haven't had much luck with that, Apple might pull it off. That will require NFC though.

Waterproofing is another big question – we've seen plenty of allusions to it but it will be a first for Apple. In terms of durability, there's some uncertainty if Apple will pull off the rumored sapphire glass protection for the screen or not.

iPhone 6, the 5.5" one

Apple has said it won't release a phablet but it said much the same thing about small tablets before announcing the iPad mini and about increasing the smartphone scree size before debuting the iPhone 5. The iPhone 6 with a 5.5" screen, the iPhone 6 Pro according to some, might take on the role of an even smaller tablet with apps that are optimized for landscape mode.

The resolution on that one will be 2,208 x 1,242 compared to 2,048 x 1,536 for the iPad Air – definitely sharper but at 16:9 aspect ratio rather than iPad's traditional 4:3. The sapphire glass protection might beexclusive to the big iPhone, leaving the 4.7" model with traditional Gorilla Glass.

A separate chipset is likely for the 5.5" iPhone 6 than its smaller sibling – more GPU cores almost certainly to deal with the extra pixels. Another big iPhone 6 exclusive might prove to be the 128GB storage, while the smaller one is capped at 64GB.

With some extra room in the chassis Apple might implement its first optical image stabilization for the camera. So far the company has used digital stabilization (one of the best, but still with plenty of limitations) but there's no beating the real deal. There's no information to suggest the camera resolution will be higher, though.

From all this it becomes clear that the 5.5" iPhone 6 will be positioned as the premium offering. With the first 4.7" rumors it seemed like Apple is finally ready to embrace the big screen but if the 5.5" model is its top citizen it's bound to send shockwaves across the iPhone world.

Rumor has it that the big iPhone will launch at the end of the year, a couple of months after the 4.7" model. This will give it some breathing room when the initial buying frenzy occurs.

But it might also be due to manufacturing issues – sapphire glass, OIS cameras, bigger aluminum unibodies are not easy to pull off. So it might not all be pure business strategy from Apple.

iWatch

If you've been reading tech blogs recently you'll have read plenty of claims that the iWatch will insta-kill Android Wear. One thing is for sure though, if Apple puts out a smartwatch Jony Ive will have designed an absolute beauty.

But it's not looks that proved to be the biggest issue with Android Wear – the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R have looks in spades. What caused a collective groan was poor battery life, the Motorola smartwatch just about makes it through a day.

Apple is known for its perfectionism though and a battery life is essential to a smartwatch. Worryingly, we've heard that Apple employees aren't talking up great battery life, it might prove little better than what the Androids are getting.

Still, with Apple's push towards a health ecosystem a watch is vital – it counts your steps, it measures your heart rate, it goes everywhere with you. Health is a big part of the smartwatch promise, Samsung is certainly pushing hard.

The big question is what will the iWatch look like – there are concepts of bands, round watches, square watches but there's no certainty about the design like there is about the iPhone 6. Again, industrial design is Apple's bread and butter so we're not worried, just curios what all the hype is about.

One thing you can bet on though – the iWatch will only work with iOS devices. Even normally open Android is restricted in that sense, Android Wear works only with Android devices. It all has to do with how notifications are pulled from the phone and pushed to the watch.

Apple certainly showed off some impressive syncing between iOS and OS X – start a message on your Mac, finish it on your iPhone. Even Microsoft has failed to pull that off despite its dominance on the desktop. Such seamless transition to the iWatch from other devices could be its ace in the hole, not the design.

There's going to be a dedicated section of the App Store just for iWatch apps. It remains to be seen how much control Apple will give developers (if we had to guess, not much).

What will be announced

As we said, the 4.7" iPhone 6 is all but certain – the mountain of leaks is too big to be wrong. As for the 5.5" iPhone 6 – we're sure Apple is experimenting with it but it remains to be seen if the factories can put it together. If Apple unveils its first phablet it's more than likely that it will ship later than the smartphone.

Info from Russia suggest the 4.7" iPhone 6 will cost RUB 30,000 ($810), while the 5.5" model will start at RUB 35,500 ($940). The top-specced 128GB model can be a whopping RUB 45-50,000 ($1,210-$1,350).

The iWatch is the least likely – it's not the first time we've heard such rumors and the rumor mill has very little to show. Keep in mind the rumors might have been misinterpreted – Apple Health proved to be a collaboration with other companies rather than an Apple device or hardware feature. Could the iWatch be the same?

The iWatch might launch between the two iPhones in October. The rumored price is $300, the higher-end of the Android Wear scale.

How Apple's iWatch can succeed where others have failed

By Scott SteinSarah Tew

I've reviewed tons of smartwatches. Or so it seems. And yet, I don't see many people wearing them. That's because the whole wearable landscape is embryonic. And, a lot of it's not very good.

By very good, I mean good of the type I'd recommend to my mom or my friend who's not into tech. Good as in, you need one of these. Or you'd want one. I can count on one hand the number of wearables that have gotten to that stage, and I wouldn't use all five fingers.

Smartwatches have come in many shapes and sizes: some have black and white screens. Some are big, bright and curved. Some run their own apps. Some have no apps at all. Some work with just Android. Others, iOS and Android. Some track fitness. Some do it better than others.

I had a list of what I was looking for in a killer wearable, Apple or otherwise, well over a year ago. A lot of my opinions there still stand. But now, as Apple might finally be ready to show off something big next week, how can it -- watch, band, or otherwise -- improve on what's out there?

Here's a good start.

Sarah Tew

Make it do three things better than any other gadget you already own

Smartwatches and wearables aren't necessary. They're additional gadgets in a world already flooded with gadgets. We don't need them. People need phones. People need computers. Tablets found a way to succeed to by doing some things so well that there was a desire to get one. It's the iPad equation: at first people called Apple's iPad a large iPhone. But it started up fast, had long battery life, and was a lot more portable than a laptop, and had a big screen.

What would a wearable do better than a phone or tablet or laptop? Track health? Pay for things? Stay connected with friends? It has to have its own purpose. Amazingly, beyond "act as a pager" or "count steps," most smartwatches right now don't.

Sarah Tew/CNET

A design that serves its function

Good-looking watches are one thing; a design that helps the wearable be good at what it does is far more important. Most watches go for flair: a curved screen, or a round face and super-thin bezel, or some premium material design. Do any of these make the wearable better at what it does? Sure, wristwatches are about design more than function. But when it comes to a killer smartwatch, I don't think it should work that way. MacBooks and iPads and iPhones are really well designed, but they're mostly practically designed: they function. I don't want a fancy look if it doesn't make sense.

Work with things beyond your phone

Smartwatches are slaves to smartphones. They're glorified Bluetooth accessories. They can offer an on-wrist way to interact with stuff without checking your phone all the time, like on Google's Android Wear watches such as the Moto 360, but what about when you walk into a store, or an airport, or around your home?

Phones manage the relationship between smartwatches and other smart things and locations right now, but these wearables need to get smarter about where they are and what they're doing all on their own. Maybe, someday soon, we'll be in a world of connected things. Smartwatches should be ready to work with them and save us the extra drain on our phone.

Josh Miller/CNET

Battery life, battery life, battery life

Android Wear watches last about a day on a charge. The Pebble Steel and Meta M1, four to seven days. Most fitness bands, about a week. A few go for months, but have standard watch batteries.

It's a lot to ask for a small device to have killer battery life, but having yet another little thing to charge up is a gift that no one I know cherishes. At the least, Apple's smartwatch or wearable will hopefully have a better, smarter way to conserve battery life, or recharge on the fly, or fast and effortlessly enough that it will remain functional. But some reports say that might not be the case. Maybe battery life on these types of devices just isn't ready to take the next step.

Wearables are meant to be worn all the time. The more they need recharging, the less they're worn, and the sooner they end up in a pile of discarded electronics.

Flexibility beyond a watch

Why does a wearable have to be a watch? Why can't it be more? The 2011 iPod Nano unclipped from a watchband and could be snapped on a jacket. It could be an accessory or a watch. Having something that could be swapped into different accessories with different styles, perform different functions in different situations, and be more of a universal multi-use mini-gadget...I'd far prefer that to any true watch.

Hundreds of accessory makers, fashion companies, and others could turn a flexible little device into a gadget with dozens of designs and forms. And it would make a lot more sense than creating a smartwatch with different physical shapes. The Misfit Shine is an activity tracker that takes this approach and succeeds: as a watch, necklace, or clip-on.

Sarah Tew

Polished software

Google's Android Wear will transform rapidly over time: new features and improvements, and compatible apps, are certain to make it better six months from now than it is now. But right now, it feels like a beta test. It doesn't do everything I want. Parts don't work reliably. It's fragmented.

If an Apple wearable debuts now, better to start small and do a few things really, really well. If those few things are great, and well-delivered, others can be introduced later. The iPhone didn't start with an App Store. But it had polished software for what it did right out of the gate.

Improve on the fitness equation

Most fitness wearables right now are, honestly, more of a carrot on a stick than a true way to improve daily fitness. Step-counting bands have limits as motivational tools. Heart-rate monitors on many recent smartwatches like Samsung's are buggy. Connected health-tracking hubs, like Withings, offer some good tools but don't always play well with everything else out there.

If Apple can make a hub via Health and Healthkit that allows shared and exchanged health-tracking data between other accessories and apps, and senses your health and fitness more continuously, and with better software coaching, there could finally be something worth getting beyond basic fitness bands.

I have other hopes, too, like a way to make secure payments from my wrist, but just nailing these would help Apple, and the whole wearable tech industry, take a much-needed leap forward. Otherwise, for now, the outlook still currently feels stuck in beta.

4 'iWatch' alternatives Apple could unveil on Sept. 9

by Nick Statt 

 and Donna Tam

Interface designer Todd Hamilton released an iWatch mock-up in January 2014, showing the world what an Apple watch-wristband combo might look like.Todd Hamilton

If the rumors are true, Apple may unveil a wearable device along with its new iPhone at an event on Sept. 9.

But will that wearable be the long-rumored "iWatch," a wrist-based smartwatch built off Apple's iOS mobile operating system that aims to take on challengers from Google, LG, Motorola and Samsung? If it isn't the iWatch, just what will Apple CEO Tim Cook and his team introduce in the wearables market?

So will it be a smartwatch or a fitness band, especially given the favorable and widely circulated mock-ups from designers like Todd Hamilton? Or will it be a device unlike any we've never seen before. Whatever it is, Apple, which hasn't introduced a product in a new category since the iPad tablet in 2010, needs to impress.Recode reported Wednesday that Apple's first wearable might make debut with the iPhone 6 -- rather than at a product event expected in October. But Recode carefully avoided calling the wearable the iWatch and didn't make any mention of a smartwatch. That suggests Apple's wearable plans may still be too cryptic to decipher.

"Apple has kind of lost its mojo," says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. "But, Apple is a unique company, it's capable of making that kind of radical social change, not only possible, but desirable. And that's how it will get its mojo back."

But figuring out how to get people, now accustomed to carrying around a smartphone, to buy into a new mobile device can be a challenge. Samsung, which has led the charge by releasing more than half a dozen wearables in the last two years, has tried everything from round and square watches, to color LCD-equipped wristbands, to a headset that drapes around your neck. Other device makers like LG and Motorola have stuck to wrist-worn time pieces, for now.

Even Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak said this week that wearables may be "a hard sell," though he thinks if anyone can convince consumers to covet a wearable, it's Apple. "Apple works very hard to produce exceptionally great products and doesn't quickly release things like a wearable," Woz told CNET News. "So if one is introduced I expect it to have a chance to set the direction and make the product category finally viable."

Apple doesn't comment on rumors or speculation and hasn't ever acknowledged it's working on wearable development -- though CEO Tim Cook has been promising "amazing" new products since last year and said at a May 2013 conference that the wearables market is "ripe for exploration." "I think from a mainstream point of view [glasses as wearable computing devices] are difficult to see," he said. "I think the wrist is interesting. The wrist is natural."

If Cook doesn't unveil a smartwatch in September, company watchers say there are at least four other ways Apple can get into the wearables game.

1. A plain ol' fitness tracker

Fitness and health will undoubtedly play a role in whatever wearable Apple delivers.

Fitness trackers, like Fitbit's Flex, Jawbone's Up, and Nike's Fuelband, have had the best track record for wearables among consumers, capturing the lion's share of the market, according to the NPD Group. So it makes sense that Apple may want to ease its loyal fans into a wearable that's easy to use and serves a specific purpose. Healthkit, Apple's platform for tracking users' health data, would likely come into play here along with Apple's new HomeKit platform for connected home devices like thermostats and smart locks.

When CNET reported that Nike abandoned its popular Nike Fuelband wearable fitness tracker, there was speculation the sportsmaker was making room on the market for an Apple device. The two companies have had a close relationship; Cook has served on Nike's board since 2005. When Nike CEO Mark Parker was pressed for details on an Apple wearable partnership, the executive dropped telling hints. "I will say that the relationship between Nike and Apple will continue," Parker said. "And I am personally, as we all are at Nike, very excited about what's to come."

That said, Apple is arriving late to the party and a standalone fitness tracker would be a letdown unless the company can produce something with more functionality than what's already on the market. That may mean something more in line with what Hamilton designed, meaning a fitness band, yet one with cellular connectivity separate from a smartphone and a color screen. "If Apple comes out with a Fitbit copy, that's going to be extremely disappointing," NPD analyst Weston Henderek said.

2. iPod Nano refresh

Apple's 2010 iPod Nano had a 1.5-inch multi-touch display and a clip on its back that allowed it to snap onto a shirt collar or belt loop. Yet after some DIY bracelet attachments and more polished Nano cases designed for the wrist came to the market, Apple got the hint: the Nano could double as an early smartwatch. Apple updated the Nano firmware to support watchfaces, yet the device always remained a kind of geek fashion symbol, a far cry from the stylish and powerful smartwatches of 2014.

iPod Nano: a flexible iPod, watch, and also a fitness device...and that was 2011.Sarah Tew/CNET

Fast forward four years and the iPod line has been pushed to the periphery, with iPod shipments dropping 36 percent year over year in the quarter ending in June, with sales dropping 40 percent. The Nano now looks like a mini iPod Touch, running a stripped down version of the iOS software and supporting fitness and music.

A comeback for the dedicated MP3 player is unlikely any time soon -- unless Apple's wearable is branded under the iPod line.

Whether an iPod-branded wearable would resemble the 2010 Nano and contain a clip for wrists, shirt collars, and belt loops depends on how Apple wants consumers to use it. A multi-purpose wearable may be easier to use, yet a dedicated smartwatch would strike the most compelling and sought-after market in the space. Either way, the iPod line is in need of a refresh -- if Apple wants to keep it alive -- and a wearable could do the trick.

3. Siri-connected headset or ear buds

The 2013 movie "Her," directed by Spike Jonze, envisioned Los Angeles in a near-future with smartphones that really haven't undergone any radical visual changes. Instead, the film imagines that the software and hardware that powers our devices has advanced to the point of ubiquity, where the technology becomes a seamless part of our daily life.

The protagonist Theo Twombly perpetually wears an earbud connected to an artificial intelligence program that interacts with him through the camera on his phone. Over time, Theo falls in love with her, the AI operating system that plays him music, organizes his calendar, and asks him what it's like to be human. Apple very well could go the route of "Her"-style earbuds or perhaps a headset wearable -- think a Glass-less Google Glass -- connected to its virtual personal assistant Siri.

Spike Jonze's "Her" envisioned a future wearable earbud that communicates with an advanced artificial intelligence program.Warner Bros. Pictures

"Rather than trying to compete with Google Glass, which has not captured the imagination of the public, put a speaker next to your ear," says James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research. "Have Siri whisper in your ear."

The digital assistant would have to do more than let people access apps -- maybe work off of contextual clues that serve relevant information designed for quick consumption, as Google's Android Wear operating system does now for smartwatches like the Motorola Moto 360. McQuivey also envisions a headset a with sensors for sensing body rhythms and heartbeats to anticipate a consumer's needs.

Apple purchased the headphone maker Beats in February for $3 billion, bringing in music industry veterans Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine. With one of the most popular earpiece companies under its wing, Apple could develop a screen-less wearable that sits in our ear at all times. Of course, the technological challenges there are vast -- Her was a blend of Sci-fi and romantic comedy after all.

4. Smart jewelry

Several small companies have already started selling jewelry that connects to a smartphone in the hopes of proving consumers want more than just a connected watch. This includes rings, necklaces and bracelets.

Major tech players are already invested in courting the fashion conscious by attending Fashion Week -- including Google, which partnered with a major brands to market and sell Glass, and Samsung, which teamed with a designer to create glam Galaxy Gear accessories.

Jewelry could be that next step.

Ringly, a smart ring, connects a fashion statement with your smartphone.Ringly

Apple is definitely a fashion-focused company, so it's not too much of a leap to see it develop a smart bauble.

Apple made its commitment to fashion clear this year by hiring Burberry's CEO to head its retail efforts, and by snatching up Beats. While not a traditional fashion company, Beats headphones have become a fashion statement thanks to design and their popularity with celebrities.

Another reason to think Apple is thinking about bling: reports earlier this year that the companyexpanded its trademark coverage to include clocks, watches and jewelry.