Apple’s new iPhone is on schedule: The company will hold a press event on Sept. 9 to unveil its new model, Re/code’s well-sourced John Paczkowski reports. This is in line with previous years, when Apple also revealed its new phone in early- to mid-September.
A few key questions:
- Will there be one new iPhone or two? Reports have suggested larger iPhones will arrive this year, with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays.
- What will happen to last year’s models? Will Apple keep both the iPhone 5S and 5C around for another year? It at least seems likely that the old iPhone 4S will finally be retired. Will these be the only 4-inch iPhones available?
- When will the phones go on sale? And in which countries? Last year, the iPhone 5S debuted in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the UK 10 days following the press event. If the company adheres to the same timetable this year, then the iPhone 6—if that’s what Apple calls it—would go on sale Friday, Sept. 19.
- Will Apple also launch a mobile wallet this year? That’s the subject of at least one report from this summer.
- Will there also be an iWatch? If it’s being sold as an iPhone accessory, maybe—but this would be the earliest it’s expected. The iPhone is Apple’s flagship product, and it tends to keep iPhone events focused on new iOS features and the new phones themselves.
- Will this launch Apple into another growth phase? Sales growth has stagnated, though Apple is still growing and still very profitable. Larger iPhones could compete better against Samsung and other Android devices. Can Apple take more share?