The launch of the iPhone X has all but been confirmed for 12 September, with Apple inviting tech journalists to assemble at its Cupertino base in California on that date. This is being billed as the 10th anniversary iPhone - although the original was actually unveiled in January of 2007 - and pundits are hoping for something special.
iOS, of course, has matured into a great platform for music making, and so mobile tunesmiths will be watching the launch with interest. What, though, can they expect?
The most nailed-on rumour appears to be that the iPhone X (if, indeed, that’s what it will be called) will come with a larger 5.8-inch screen that stretches from edge to edge, making using creative apps a potentially more pleasurable experience. Both the bezel and home button are set to go, and it’ll be an all-glass design. There are whispers about wireless charging, too, which could be useful to those who use the Lightning port to plug in creative peripherals such as keyboards and interfaces.
Don’t expect the headphones port that was dropped from the iPhone 7 to be revived, though; once Apple has ditched what it sees as redundant technology, it rarely returns to it.
Performance wise, we’re expecting a faster A11 Fusion chipset, 3GB of RAM and storage options of 64GB and 256GB. There’s speculation that battery life might have been improved, too, though we’re slightly sceptical about that one, and could be a dealbreaker for some.
The biggest issue for many potential customers, though, may turn out to be price, with rumours circulating that the iPhone X could retail for around $1,000 (which, given Apple's usual interpretation of the exchange rate, may translate to around £1,000). However powerful or attractive it is, that’s still an awful lot of money to pay for a phone, and musicians may decide to get their creative kicks on an iPad instead, which offers an even larger display to work on and can be had for less.
Of course, there’s a chance we could be way off the mark with some or all of the above; for the very latest news, up to and beyond launch day, head to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X page on our sister site TechRadar, which will tell you everything you need to know.
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