Apple has sent out invitations to a September 14 event at the company headquarters in Cupertino, California, where the company is speculated to unveil new iPhones along with other highly-anticipated products.
The event starts at 10 am PT (10:30 pm IST) and will be streamed online. Apple has used California Streaming as the catchline for the event.
Apple usually holds in-person fall hardware events inviting the media from across the globe, but for the past year, it has switched to digital-only format due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Apple events are known for creating the pre-hype around its products, a format that has now become standard in the tech industry.
The Cupertino company typically announces new iPhones in September, perhaps the biggest money-spinner ever since the first iPhone made its debut in 2007. Apple is expected to announce four new iPhone 13 models this year — the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
They are expected to look the same as the iPhone 12 but could feature a smaller notch, high-refresh-rate displays on the “Pro” models, possible reverse wireless charging, improved cameras, and bigger batteries.
Despite the ongoing chipset shortages and increase in production cost, Apple might not change the price of the iPhone 13 lineup.
Although the iPhone is the indisputable king in the smartphone market, this year Apple might face competition from Samsung’s newly launched Galaxy Z foldable phones as well as from the Google Pixel 6 series.
The early reception the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 are getting could put pressure on Apple to make big changes in the iPhone lineup, though Cupertino takes its own time to get into a new product category until unless there is money to be made.
Even though the iPhone 13 might not be different from last year’s models, as noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is claiming, the new iPhones could have the ability to make satellite calls.
The analyst believes the iPhone 13 will be able to connect to low Earth orbit satellites when other networks aren’t available. This might not seem like a big deal now, but it could become the standard feature on all leading smartphones in the coming years to come.
Apple will also probably use the event to talk about more devices in its lineup, including the Apple Watch Series 7 which is going to have a major design refresh since the first Apple Watch launched in 2014.
For the first time in years, the Apple Watch will come in 41mm and 45mm sizes, plus the new watch will have a flatter display and edges.
The iPad Mini 6, as well as AirPods 3, are also expected to show up on September 14. Apple’s mini tablet might have a new design similar to the iPad Air 4 with thin bezels, with the Touch ID button built into the power button.
Meanwhile, AirPods 3 could include a shorter stem, interchangeable tips, and a smaller charging case.
Other Apple products, like the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with new M1X silicon and the ‘pro’ level Mac mini are not at the September 14 event. Apple might hold a separate event to announce the new Mac lineup.
