Apple Sets September Date For Next-Generation iPhone Launch

Apple has set a date for an event at which it’s expected to unveil new iPhone models to follow up last year’s trend-setting iPhone X.

The event, on the morning of 12 September, is to be held at the Steve Jobs Theatre in the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, and was announced with an invitation marked with a circular form that recalls the doughnut shape of the building, which is called Apple Park.

The bronze or gold colour of the shape on the invitation suggests Apple may announce a gold-coloured successor to the iPhone X.

Documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), unsealed earlier this year, indicated Apple had submitted plans for a gold iPhone X, but the model was released in silver and grey only.

Gold model?

The planned gold version was reportedly cancelled due to production issues.

Industry speculation suggests Apple may release three new iPhones this year, including a flagship device with a 6.5-inch OLED display, larger than the 5.8-inch OLED on last year’s iPhone X.

Two iPhone X-style devices are also rumoured to be on the way, one with last year’s 5.8-inch OLED display but upgraded features and another less costly edition with a 6.1-inch LCD screen.

The less expensive LCD iPhone model is rumoured to sport a variety of unconventional colours. The iPhone X’s gesture controls and Face ID unlocking system may also be built into all of the new phones.

3D Touch, a pressure-sensitive display system introduced with great fanfare in 2015, may be dropped from this year’s models.

Apple sometimes brings in new features for other gadgets at its autumn event, and this year it’s expected to introduce an iPad Pro with Face ID and an Apple Watch with a bigger display.

The company is also said to be planning a MacBook Air with a lower price tag, slimmer display bezels and a Retina display, and a Mac Mini with higher specifications.

However, the company often makes Mac announcements later in the autumn.

Trendsetter

The event is likely to be closely watched by those looking to see Apple’s next smartphone moves.

The 10th anniversary iPhone X introduced last year brought in design features that were quickly copied by many other flagship smartphones.

Most notable was its edge-to-edge display with a “notch” or cutout housing the device’s front-facing sensors.

This year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, held in the spring, was noted for the launches of high-end smartphones that all resembled one another, with most also bearing more than a passing resemblance to Apple’s device.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Huawei’s P20 Pro, both of which made their debut this spring, were among those introducing all-screen designs, while the P20 also made use of a sensor cutout.

The design homogeneity led companies to differentiate themselves elsewhere, with phones from the likes of Samsung, Sony and Huawei sporting advanced camera features.