5 Expectations for Apple’s Tuesday Media Event

A larger display—plus a larger larger one

The standard size of Apple’s flagship handset is set to increase—twice. Leaked parts and schematics released by accessory manufacturers suggest that the next iPhone will come in two sizes, sporting both a standard 4.7” display and coming in a massive 5.5” model. A common question revolves around how Apple’s Retina display resolution can scale to each new size, and how designers will have to adjust their interface elements to take advantage of the larger canvas. iOS 8 includes some scalability features that should make the transitions easier, but the exact pixel counts are still a mystery.

A smarter camera for smarter pictures

New information about optical stabilization technologies included in the next iPhone suggests that Apple is stepping up its game for photos. While the iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s have all sported 8-megapixel shooters with various software and hardware improvements over the years, rumors conflict on whether the 6 will continue with a similarly sized sensor or step up to a 13-megapixel camera. As for the front-facing camera, recent front-facing camera improvements from companies like Nokia might encourage Apple to pay more attention to the selfie game.

The eighth iPhone gets an eighth-generation brain

Apple outdid itself with last year’s A7 system-on-a-chip, which brought the Apple mobile ecosystem into 64 bits and raised the performance ceiling for iOS app developers. In addition, the M7 coprocessor allowed for new utility surrounding health and fitness by unifying pedometer and accelerometer data and making it accessible by the whole system. This year, an increase in RAM to 1GB should allow higher-performance apps to flourish on the bigger, badder A8—but don’t expect Apple to acknowledge any under-the-hood specs directly.

Sapphire—something, somewhere

Rumors have gone back and forth on the topic of a sapphire crystal display, and currently suggest that certain models will offer the ultra-hard material as an option. Current iPhones feature sapphire crystal in the camera lens cover and the Touch ID sensor on last year’s iPhone 5s, but Apple’s recent opening of a sapphire plant in Arizona seems to indicate that its commitment to the gemstone is about to increase dramatically.

New payment capabilities to strike fear into the hearts of wallets everywhere

The integration of an NFC chip into the iPhone 6 will springboard Apple into the mobile payments industry in a major way—and rumors foretell that the company will offer a massive software solution to complement it. Rumblings about partnerships with major banks indicate that Apple might be exploring a new in-store payment system that could displace card-in-hand players and revolutionize the way we make payments in retail locations. Apple currently offers Passbook for certain gift cards, membership cards, and tickets, but this new payment platform will expand its mission to replace your wallet altogether.