- Apple announced its next event on Wednesday, set to take place on September 15th at 10 a.m. PT.
- Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 12 lineup at the event consisting of four new models, all of which will feature OLED displays and support for 5G networks.
- The event will be streamed live on Tuesday, September 15th, much like WWDC 2020.
Every major company in the technology industry has been affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic, and Apple is no exception. Save for the WWDC 2020 live stream, Apple been making product announcements with press releases for much of 2020. It started in March with new MacBook and iPad models, continued in April with the iPhone SE, and will likely be Apple’s method of choice for hardware announcements until the pandemic ends. But on Tuesday, Apple revealed that it will hold at least one more virtual event this year for the iPhone 12.
Apple CFO Luca Maestri confirmed back in July that supply of the next iPhone would be “available a few weeks later” than usual, which probably explains why the reveal event is taking place a bit later than we’re accustomed to as well. The iPhone 11 event was held at Apple Park on September 10th, while the iPhone XS was revealed on September 12th. It’s not a significant delay, but it’s the latest Apple has revealed a new iPhone in at least five years.
Rumors and reports have suggested that Apple will launch four iPhone 12 models this fall — two cheaper models with 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch displays, and two Pro models with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays. All four are believed to feature OLED screens and 5G support, but the higher-end models will likely have triple-rear cameras as opposed to dual-rear cameras. There’s also a chance that Apple opts for a staggered launch, with two models arriving in late September or early October, and the other two hitting the market weeks later, similar to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
In addition to new iPhone models, Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning to launch a new iPad Air with an edge-to-edge screen, two Apple Watch models, over-the-ear headphones, and a smaller HomePod. Some of these products were rumored to be revealed via press release on Tuesday, but we haven’t seen anything on Apple’s website yet. It would make sense to hold them for the event, given that there will be plenty of time to fill.
Also, with a reveal date now firmly established, we should expect the final version of iOS 14 to begin rolling out in the near future as well. This is obviously an unprecedented year, but Apple typically rolls out the latest version of iOS to the public around the same time that a new iPhone comes out, so expect news on that front soon.
UPDATE | 11:57 a.m. ET: According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who predicted that Apple would announce an event this week, the September 15th event will not feature any iPhone 12 announcements:
I am told Apple won’t announce the iPhone until October. This is for the iPad and Apple Watch in all likelihood. https://t.co/pw1oVXVoaL
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 8, 2020
