Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) will unveil its next iteration of the iPhone at an event the week of Sept. 7, and most likely on Sept. 9, according to a BuzzFeed report.
The report, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said that in addition to the new iPhone models, Apple executives are likely going to unveil the company's latest iPads as well. However, a 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" is still up in the air.
Apple declined to comment.
Last year Apple announced the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on Sept. 9 and also used the event to detail the Apple Watch smart watch. This year, Apple plans to also show off new hardware for its Apple TV set-top box, the BuzzFeed report said.
If Apple does unveil the new iPhones, expected to called the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, on Sept. 9 it would land right on the start of CTIA's Super Mobility conference in Las Vegas. Last year the iPhone announcement came during the middle of the CTIA trade show, sucking some of the attention away from the event. CTIA's opening keynotes, featuring FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Sprint (NYSE: S) CEO Marcelo Claure, are scheduled to take place on the morning of Sept. 9. Apple usually starts its product events and keynotes around 10 a.m. Pacific Time, so the two events could be taking place on top of each other.
A July Wall Street Journal report said Apple is asking its suppliers to manufacture between 85 million and 90 million units combined of two new iPhone models with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays by Dec. 31. The screen sizes are said to be identical to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The WSJ noted that, in 2014, Apple ordered a then-record initial production run of 70 million to 80 million iPhone units. Apple sold 74.5 million total iPhones in the first quarter of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus's availability.
Apple is betting that seemingly minor hardware changes and new software features like its "Proactive Assistant" digital assistant will be enough to woo consumers. The Journal reported that new iPhone models will sport Apple's "Force Touch" feature, which can sense how hard users are pressing down on a screen. Bloomberg reported late last month that Apple had started its production run of phones with the technology. Apple is already using Force Touch technology in its latest MacBook and in the Apple Watch.
For more:
- see this BuzzFeed article
- see this CNET article
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