Weekend Wrap-up: Apple's event, Amazon's free smartphone

I’m back after a brief couple of days away from the site, ready to catch you up on the past week in tech news. Ready?

The Apple Invite

It’s the one invitation that might be more sought after than a VIP ticket to the Inaugural Ball: one to Apple’s annual iPhone unveiling. At least, that’s what we suspect the company will be showing off come Sept. 10, and it’s what the evidence overwhelmingly points to. There has also been some talk of an updated Apple TV, but even that has been debated over the past few days, with some in the tech community believing Apple simply intends to update the Apple TV’s software. Whatever the case, we’ll be here on event day to cover everything live.

Free smartphones?

Do I have your attention now? You can get many eyes and ears on you if you’re offering something free, and perhaps Amazon wants to see just how many people it can rope into its content and commerce ecosystem with a free smartphone. This is just a rumor at this point, but when you consider the fact that Amazon has been willing to sell at cost or lose a little money on devices so it can sell them content and services, the idea isn’t so far fetched. It’s a story we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.

Microsoft nabs Nokia

This is a major story that would normally headline any other week. Microsoft has agreed to acquire Nokia, which will bring the company’s numerous Windows Phone-based devices under the official Microsoft umbrella. For Microsoft, it means finally having a legitimate, respected hardware arm as it transitions to a devices and services company. Will Nokia CEO Stephen Elop be Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s eventual successor? He is thought to be a favorite at this point, but nothing is for sure.

Xbox One, 11/22

And, lastly, a bit more news from the world of Microsoft. The company’s upcoming Xbox One console now has an official United States release date of Nov. 22. Will you be able to waltz into your favorite electronics or game store and pick one up? That isn’t quite clear at this point, as the company sold a lot of preorders and has sold out of the special Day One edition consoles. We’ll likely know closer to launch exactly how much stock the company is working with and we’ll be sure to keep you up to speed on which retailers will be getting the most systems.