While the “iPhone X” is getting most of the attention ahead of tomorrow’s Apple event, the company is also expected to launch an LTE Apple Watch, 4K Apple TV and new set of AirPods tomorrow as well. The latest firmware leaks seem to indicate that the LTE Apple Watch will still be dependent on the user having an iPhone cellular plan, with 9to5Mac reporting the device will use the same phone number as the iPhone to make calls.
That means incoming calls from the same number can be answered from either the iPhone or the Apple Watch after the user completes the setup process, falling short of some long shot hopes that the Apple Watch would be a completely standalone device. It’s still unclear what the additional cost will be to add the Apple Watch to an iPhone’s cellular plan, but the code suggests carriers may initially offer free or reduced-cost plans to get the Apple Watch on as many arms as possible, including references to a “preinstalled” carrier plan.
The Apple Watch could get a minor appearance upgrade, with ceramic gray and aluminum Blush Gold options popping up in the code alongside other existing color and case options.
Updated AirPods are coming too, but the internal name change — from AirPods1,1 to AirPods1,2 — suggests that update is a minor one, with 9to5Mac speculating that Apple may just be moving the charge indicator light to the outside of the case so users can see if the devices are charges without opening the lid. The Apple TV is getting something of a beefier update under the hood according to developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who claims the new 4K-capable device will be powered by an A10X Fusion chip and boast 3 GB of RAM — a major improvement over the current Apple TV’s A8 chip and 2GB of RAM.
