Apple Rumors: The Likely, the Unlikely, and the Just Plain Absurd

Well, folks, the time is nearly upon us. Apple has sent out official invites to its Sept. 9th event, and it looks like it’s going to be a big one.

The show kicks off at 10am PT at the Bill Graham Civic Center, which is a far larger venue than Apple traditionally uses for these events.

So what could Tim Cook and company have up their sleeves? To help figure it out, we’ve collected some of the latest whispers about Apple’s future gadgets and run them through our trusty Truth-O-Meter 5000 (trademark pending), to rank each rumor on a scale of 1 to 5 — with 5 being most likely true and 1 being completely nuts.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

The rumors: Lots of reports on this one, alleging that Apple will debut two new iPhones at its Sept. 9th event.

According to Business Insider, the 6s and 6s Plus will include Apple’s Force Touch technology, which lets you press lightly or more forcefully on a touchscreen or trackpad to provide different kinds of input to your apps.

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, who has a very good track record when it comes to Apple news, claims that the new iPhones’ camera will also get significant upgrades.

Sources cited in a 9to5Mac report claim the next iPhones will also come in “rose gold” versions. The information indicates these phones, however, unlike the rose gold Apple Watch, will be made of colored aluminum and not actual 18-karat gold.

Naturally, the new iPhones are expected to ship with Apple’s new iOS 9 operating system and with improved processors.

Our assessment: Apple has unveiled new iPhones every fall for the past several years. Based on the pattern of those past releases and Apple’s naming conventions, a new 6s and a new 6s Plus seem likely this year.

Force Touch has also made its way into both the Apple Watch and the new MacBook, so including it in the new iPhones would seem to be a no-brainer. The camera upgrade is probably a shoo-in, considering that Apple no doubt wants to reclaim the Best Smartphone Camera crown from LG and Samsung.

Truth-O-Meter: 5

iPad Pro

The rumor: The long-awaited iPad Pro is said to be a behemoth 12- to 13-inch version of everyone’s favorite slate. According to Macworld, the tablet will come with either a 12.9-inch or a 12.2-inch display, making it far larger than the iPad Air 2, which has a 8.9-inch screen.

CNET has reported that the Pro could also come with a USB Type-C port, similar to the one found on the new MacBook. That means the Pro would be able to use the same connector as future USB Type-C-enabled smartphones and laptops. CNET also says that the Pro might sport a stylus similar to that of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3.

The majority of rumors point to a November 2015 release date.

Our assessment: The iPad Pro has been rumored for so long without ever materializing that its existence seems about as likely as Sasquatch’s.

Throwing more cold water on the Pro is the fact that tablet sales — even Apple’s — have been steadily slipping. That makes you wonder why Apple would bother introducing yet another slate, in addition to its iPad Air and iPad mini.

In other words, don’t hold your breath for this one.

Truth-O-Meter: 2

Apple car

The rumor: According to multiple news outlets, including Bloomberg and the New York Times, Apple has been hiring executives, designers, and engineers away from a variety of automakers. The supposed goal: to get some kind of Apple car on the road by 2020.

In addition to those hires, rumormongers cite a lawsuit that was filed by electric-car-battery maker A123, which claims that Apple poached employees to work on its own car-battery project.

Oh, and Jony Ive really likes cars.

Our assessment: Apple has been rumored to be working on a car for a while now, but we still haven’t seen any kind of leaked prototypes or documents to support it. What’s more, Apple would have a ton of work to do to get its own automotive brand off the ground.

Still, the company has the financial means to take such a leap, and why else would it hire so many automotive experts?

Truth-O-Meter: 3

Apple television service

The rumor: The Wall Street Journal has reported that Apple is looking to enter the streaming-TV business, with its own “over-the-top” cable package, which would let you stream 25 channels (including local broadcasters) for between $30 and $40 a month.

That service would supposedly give you access to cable TV content without requiring you to have a separate cable TV subscription. Adding fuel to this particular rumor-fire is a comment CBS CEO Les Moonves made to Re/Code’s Kara Swisher, in which the executive said he met with Apple’s Eddy Cue to discuss the company’s streaming plans.

Our assessment: Given the buzz, and given Apple’s demonstrated interest in television and media streaming, a streaming-TV service would seem to be a lock, perhaps as early as this fall.

Truth-O-Meter: 5

Apple wireless service

The rumor: According to this one, Apple is working to become a wireless carrier on its own — in telecom parlance, becoming a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). The theory is that the company would rent wireless bandwidth from existing carriers like Verizon and AT&T, then resell it to customers.

Business Insider quotes sources close to Apple who say the company is already testing an MVNO. But then Apple recently released a statement saying it isn’t working on any such project.

Our assessment: It’s not completely absurd to think that Apple would be working on an MVNO; after all, Google is already testing its own MVNO, called Project Fi.

But, as GigaOM points out, it wouldn’t seem make much business sense for Apple to take on the very carriers that sell and market its phones. The majority of Apple’s profits come from sales of the iPhone. Jeopardizing those, while also taking on the customer-service headaches of running a wireless service that you don’t actually control, does not seem particularly rational.

Truth-O-Meter: 2

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.