Apple Homepage Now Redirecting to Event Countdown Ahead of Tomorrow’s Announcements

With less than 24 hours to go until tomorrow’s major media event, Apple has begun redirecting its entire homepage in the U.S., Apple.com, to Apple.com/live, which displays a countdown to the event. Apple’s move to redirect all homepage traffic to its event countdown is undoubtedly an effort to ramp up anticipation for its upcoming announcements.

Apple’s promotion of the event along with its location at the Flint Center, where the original Mac was unveiled, suggests that Apple has something huge in the works for tomorrow’s announcements. While Apple’s media events are always major affairs, Apple has made an extra effort this year to build up hype for the big unveiling.

Apple has plans to live stream the event on its website and the company will likely stream the event to the Apple TV with a dedicated channel, as it has done for past events. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event, both on MacRumors.com and on the MacRumorsLive Twitter account for those unable to watch Apple’s live stream.

Tomorrow’s event kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific Time at the Flint Center at De Anza College in Cupertino. Apple is expected to unveil a multitude of new products and services, including two versions of the iPhone 6, its much-rumored wearable device, and its mobile payments initiative.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Apple’s Mobile Payments Initiative May Include Rewards Program

Apple may be developing a rewards program as part of its mobile payments initiative, reports Bank Innovation. Apple is reportedly working on a pilot program that will see it developing partnerships with multiple retailers, which goes hand in hand with several previous loyalty program rumors. A proprietary rewards program could give Apple a way to distinguish itself from other mobile payment services.

According to sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans, the company has been in talks with InterContinental Hotels Group (seemingly incorrectly referred to as “IGH International” in the report), a global hotel chain, about a possible partnership for a loyalty program and has been hiring to fill positions related to the pilot program, which may be built into iTunes.

Bank Innovation specifically points towards an Apple job opening seeking a “Senior World Wide Partner Marketing Manager,” who will create programs and training materials for “external partners” and who will focus on driving customer adoption of “existing and new features.” Other similar job postings also hint at the development of a major program focused on third-party partnerships, which may be a loyalty program.

The site suggests that the company is just now beginning to hire for the division, which means a possible loyalty program is unlikely to be available right when its payments service launches.

Sources close to Apple say the company has just started hiring for this division, and that, before the recent high-profile iCloud hack, the plan was to announce the pilot on Tuesday along with Apple’s other announcements. That very well may happen, or the announcement could be postponed until a later date — when more deals are in place and the mainstream media moves on from the iCloud cyberattack. Since Apple’s hiring for positions for this program now, but we don’t expect this program to be fully ready in the near future.

If a rewards program is indeed in the works, it appears to be in the early stages. There’s no word yet on the scope of the program or how it might work, but more information may be revealed tomorrow, when Apple unveils its mobile payments initiative for the first time.

Rumors about Apple’s payment plans have been leaking out in recent weeks, and the company has reportedly signed deals with major credit card companies including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as major credit card issuers. Apple is also said to be partnering with multiple retailers for the service, including Walgreens, CVS, and Nordstrom.

Apple’s payment service is said to rely on NFC, which will be built into both the iPhone 6 and Apple’s upcoming wearable device. It will also integrate with Touch ID for security purposes, and it will take advantage of tokenization to provide additional security and to prevent theft.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Both 4.7-Inch and 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Models Reportedly Launching on September 19

A new report [Google Translate] from French site iGen.fr claims Apple may begin selling both of its iPhone 6 models at the same time. According to the report, which is based on the same source who accurately predicted previous Apple product launches, the two models would go on sale starting Friday, September 19. That has been the most widely expected date for the first wave of launches given Apple’s previous announcement and launch patterns.

Perhaps in line with a lack of significant leaks of parts for the larger model, a separate source indicates that the 4.7-inch model is likely to be available in higher quantities than the 5.5-inch model. MacRumors has heard similar news from a reliable source, who has indicated that two different iPhone models are incoming with the larger model shipping at only half the rates of the smaller one.

Reports of a simultaneous launch for both iPhone 6 models contradicts some earlier reports, including a recent research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes Apple will stagger the launch of the two iPhone models. According to Kuo, Apple will begin selling the 4.7-inch in September and the 5.5-inch before the end of the year. This staggered launch is attributed to production issues with the 5.5-inch model.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6 tomorrow at a press event being held at the Flint Center in Cupertino. Besides a larger display, the new iPhone may include a faster A8 processor, up to 128 GB of storage, an updated Touch ID and an improved camera module with image stabilization and a round True Tone flash.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Apple’s Larger Phones May Be Called iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus

Though Apple is planning to unveil two iPhones tomorrow, in 4.7 and 5.5-inch varieties, there’s been surprisingly little information on what the two devices might be called. According to a new report from Mac Otakara [Google Translate], Apple will refer to the smaller 4.7-inch iPhone as the “iPhone 6,” while the larger 5.5-inch version will be called the “iPhone 6 Plus.”

It is unknown what source Mac Otakara derived its information from, but the site has provided accurate predictions in the past. MacRumors has also heard the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus monikers from a second source, but it remains unclear if that is indeed Apple’s naming plan.

iPhone 5s next to physical mockups of 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6

Interestingly, the “plus” naming schematic actually dates back to very early iPhone rumors, where the device was reportedly referred to as the “iPhone Math” in a mistranslation that many assumed meant “iPhone Plus.” Other possible names for the 5.5-inch iPhone included “iPhone Air,” a term that surfaced from Chinese media sources and seemed to fit in with the rest of Apple’s “Air” lineup, including the MacBook Air and the iPad Air.”

With approximately 24 hours to go until Apple’s September 9 media event, it won’t be long before we find out the official names for the two devices. Along with the iPhone 6, the event is also expected to see the unveiling of the much-anticipated “iWatch” and Apple’s mobile payments service.

.CPlase_panel display:none;