On Monday, Apple announced a date for its fall event, a time when the company typically unveils new products.
Apple is expected to introduce an updated iPhone line with an improved camera and a new home button. The firm may also show its next Apple Watch.
The invitation for the Sept. 7 event at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco didn?t offer major hints. But the invite included an image of swirling, out-of-focus, multicolored lights, which may be a reference to a new dual-lens camera expected in some of the newest iPhones.
Apple?s understated invitation comes at a critical time for the Cupertino firm. Sales of the iPhone, which represent two-thirds of the firm?s annual revenue, have been down in recent quarters.
One possible reason: Users are upgrading their phones less frequently. The company is under pressure to revive interest in the iPhone for the Christmas shopping season.
If the company keeps with the same naming pattern, the devices would be the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. They reportedly will have the same look as the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus but with an improved camera and possibly a new home button that vibrates to the touch.
A dual-lens camera for the iPhone could ?allow for different focusing tricks such as the blurry background Apple has in its invite,? reports tech blog Recode.
Perhaps the biggest change to the iPhone will be getting rid of the headphone jack, if early reports prove true. If that happens, owners of the newest iPhones will have to rely on Bluetooth-enabled headsets. One possible reason for the change may be to create a bit more room on the iPhone in order to boost the phone?s battery, CNET reported.
The Apple Watch line, which first went on sale in 2015, is also expected to be updated.
The firm may be skipping a major redesign of the iPhone this year and instead focusing on unveiling a new line in 2017, using the device?s 10th anniversary to generate more excitement, some observers have speculated. An all-glass model with wireless charging may be in the works.
(Source: TCA)
