Telegram, with 800 million monthly users, is launching a self-custodial crypto wallet. The move will solidify its presence in the vibrant crypto community that has grown from its chat platform and may attract more people to crypto.

Telegram and TON Foundation announced TON Space, a self-custodial wallet, on Wednesday at Singapore’s Token2049 crypto conference, which draws over 10,000 attendees.

Telegram has a complicated blockchain relationship. After the SEC sued Telegram over a massive initial coin offering, the chat app abandoned its Telegram Open Network (TON) blockchain project in 2020. The Open Network Foundation (TON Foundation), founded by open-source developers and blockchain enthusiasts, supports the development of The Open Network (TON), the blockchain powering a growing number of Telegram applications, including the wallet.

The Open Platform (TOP) and TOP Labs, a venture-building division, created the TON-based wallet.

TON Space will be available to Telegram users worldwide without wallet registration in November. The U.S., which has cracked down on the crypto industry and promoted many crypto apps to geofence users, is currently excluded from the feature.

A special event tomorrow, Tuesday September 12, will reveal the iPhone 15, and rumors, supply chain sources, and European Union regulators have already given us a lot of information. Last source strongly suggests that the newest iPhone will have a USB-C connector instead of the Lightning connector from the iPhone 5 in 2012.

That’s not all we expect from a new iPhone, but it could be the biggest change due to what it could unlock. That’s especially true for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which are expected to get a Thunderbolt port that uses the same connector as USB-C but adds data, display, power, and other input and output options.

The iPhone’s hardware input and output capabilities affect its role in users’ computing lives. Samsung and Motorola, for example, have spent multiple generations of their devices iterating on how smartphones can do more for users than they might be used to. Samsung’s DeX, while awkward at its introduction, has become a surprisingly competent desktop replacement. Android may get a native desktop mode for Pixel 8, if rumors are true.

Apple has yet to prove that iPadOS can replace desktop computing, but it has the potential to transform the iPhone in this regard. The concept of a pocketable thin client, where you take your PC with you and plug it into displays and input devices to work anywhere, has been around for a long time. No technical barriers exist to making an iPhone 15 with a full-featured USB-C port that supports the latest Thunderbolt spec.

When connected to an external display, iPhones are very limited. If implemented by a developer, you can output video at a resolution and aspect ratio that maximizes a TV or monitor while removing the rest of the interface.

An iPhone that projects iPadOS (or, ideally, macOS) when connected to a screen could replace a laptop for a large portion of the population, including casual computing and most of the knowledge workforce’s work tasks. The iPhone’s processors, which are used in Macs, are powerful enough for email, web browsing, video, and photo editing.

The foundations are there, and iPadOS does most of what’s needed on similar hardware. Apple could lose some of its Mac market if it did this, but it hasn’t shied away from cannibalizing its sales in other categories to lead a paradigm shift in how people use their devices.

We know Apple will announce a USB-C iPhone tomorrow, but we don’t know if it will be the same story, slightly repackaged, or a new opportunity for Apple to lead what we think of when we hear the word “smartphone.” I hope a desktop mode is being worked on for a future launch, but I don’t think it’s coming this year.

iPhone 15 with USB-C, Apple Watch Series 9, and new AirPods?
Not all wonderers lust. Some of us will form an orderly queue in One Apple Park Way’s holding area on Tuesday morning. Tim Cook and co. will unveil the latest hardware at 10 AM PT on September 12 ahead of the holiday push.

We can confirm the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 will be shown at the major Apple event. Some things can be set on your smartwatch. Naturally, there have been many rumors. For instance, some AirPods are getting old.

Macs are always possible. I think most of us would like to see more of the Vision Pro headset that stole the show at WWDC in June.

What follows is a mix of what we know, think we know, and wildly speculate.

iPhone 15

The main announcement this time. Most intriguing about the iPhone 15 is that Apple was obliged to make it. No one in the huge glass spaceship was eager to adopt USB-C (or Thunderbolt 3). Thanks to EU regulators. Last year, the European Parliament standardized device ports.

Technically, regulators give manufacturers until 2024 to integrate the tech across handsets, but all indicators point to Apple ripping the iPhone 15 Band-Aid. For consumer advocacy and e-waste, more regional governing bodies will follow the EU’s lead.

Last September marked 10 years since Apple mandated the Lightning connector. Lightning is nasty and I loathe it. My coworkers dislike it. Family and friends dislike it. My rabbit enjoys it, but she’ll eat any cable, regardless of the ends. It’s horrible and always has been.

It’s intriguing that the iPhone 15’s ordinary model will only support USB 2.0, while the pro models will support USB 3.2.

Wireless charging will be increased to 35W worldwide. The iPhone may be one of the first phones to use Qi2, which mixes wireless charging with magnets, as Apple has done for a while. This seems secure since Apple is one of 344 Wireless Power Consortium businesses and all of the IFA Qi2 iPhone accessories.

Dynamic Island, launched on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, should be coming to lesser versions.

The iPhone 15 Ultra, which would replace the Pro Max and follow Apple’s new naming pattern, is another intriguing inclusion. It will have a 6.7-inch display with 120 Hz refresh rate, slimmer bezels, and a new “Action” button instead of Mute. The iPhone 15 Pro would have the Apple Watch Ultra’s new button. It offers customized shortcuts to the camera, accessibility options, flashlight, and Shortcuts app (if you want to be creative).

Series 9 Apple Watch

Considering the Apple Watch. The rumor mill is quiet here. That may indicate a poor year for wearables. Apple may wait till next year to go all out because next year is the big 1-0. It may wait until next year for an Apple Watch SE.

However, a new Apple Watch Ultra may launch next week. Ultra 2 and Series 9 may get new processors and colors. After embracing 3D printing for Vision Pro components, Apple may consider it for case design. However, the Apple Watch’s mass market appeal raises questions of scale.

AirPods

A new AirPods set feels natural. However, the headphones may have the H2 chip in 2024. A standalone USB-C charging case may be sold. Speaking of delayed, the AirPods Max arrived little about three years ago. I wouldn’t mind a new HomePod small.

Everything else

Apple CEO Tim Cook announces major iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS updates at Apple Park’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Images: Brooks Kraft/Apple Inc.

Vision Pro looks better almost certain. Content is still unclear, so this could be a year of demos since the “spatial computing” headset launches early next year. Games were scarce. With the SDK and Unity’s development platform out in the wild, that’s possible.

More details on iOS/macOS/iPadOS/watchOS release dates are needed. Macs are more unlikely this time, and the M3 is more likely to arrive in 2024.

The Apple Event begins September 12 at 10 AM PT. We’ll broadcast live.