Apple has confirmed it will hold its next online product unveiling on September 15 (3am September 16, AEST), but new iPhones may not be part of it.
The company has previously stated that this year's crop of iPhones will be delayed by a few weeks, and rumours have suggested Apple will hold an online event in October to reveal its latest handsets. Leaker Mark Gurman reiterated similar this morning off the back of Apple's event announcement.
Instead, it is likely that Apple will use the event to unveil a next generation Apple Watch, a more affordable Apple Watch, and a new iPad Air.
The event invite features the tagline "Time Flies", which seemingly alludes to a next generation Apple Watch. The logo illustration almost looks as if it was drawn by an Apple Pencil, hinting at new iPads.
The Apple Watch Series 6 is likely to be a somewhat iterative update, featuring the typical year-on-year upgrades like better performance, in addition to improved water-resistance and faster WiFi. Blood oxygen tracking is also on the cards. A drop in blood oxygen levels can suggest respiratory or cardiac problems.
The cheaper Apple Watch - dubbed the Apple Watch SE - is set to replace the Series 3, which is currently the cheapest wearable in the company’s portfolio. We'd expect it to feature the latest Apple Watch processor, but maintain the Apple Watch Series 3 design. Apple Watch Series 3 devices start at $319, so we'd expect Apple to aim for a similar price tag.
Apple is also expected to reveal a new 11-inch iPad Air that takes its design cues from the iPad Pro. This would mean smaller bezels, no home button, and a USB-C port rather than a Lightning connector. However, instead of facial recognition, it is likely the new iPad Air could have a fingerprint reader in a side-facing power button. Support for the Apple Pencil and Apple's tablet keyboards is almost certainly a given.
It also wouldn't be surprising to see Apple announce the final versions of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 as part of the September event.
Even if we don't see new iPhones as part of Apple's September event, it wouldn't be surprising to see the company provide a date for its October event as part of it. Apple is expected to unveil four new iPhones this year: a 5.4-inch iPhone 12, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Read more about what we're expecting from the 2020 iPhone family here.
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Alex Choros
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