Apple event announced: iPhone 13 and new Apple Watch set to be revealed at digital launch

Apple has announced a new “special event” at which it is expected to unveil a new iPhone and Apple Watch.

It will hold the digital launch on 14 September at 10am local pacific time, or 6pm in the UK, it said.

As with every event since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the launch will be held virtually. Apple said that it will be “broadcasting from Apple Park”, and titled the invitation “California streaming”.

Other than that, the company gave no hints about what the event could play host to, or what features might be revealed. Its invitation included a picture of a Californian sunset with a glowing Apple logo floating in the middle.

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Apple’s marketing head, Greg Joswiak, shared a similar image that showed the glowing logo in the company’s Apple Park campus.

While fans often look for hints about new products in invitations, they are often designed so as to give no real insight into whatever might be launched. Similarly, the names of the event can sometimes hold clues to what will be revealed at the event, or not: “California Streaming” could be a reference to new updates for its streaming services such as Apple Music and TV+, the fact that the event will once again be held digitally, or nothing at all.

The headline announcement of the event is almost certain to be the new iPhone, however, widely referred to as the iPhone 13. The company has followed a regular schedule of unveiling those new phones in September –?holding a launch event in the middle of the month, and putting them on sale roughly a week-and-a-half later –?though last year it was forced to delay the unveiling until October because of production issues.

The iPhone 13 is expected to keep much of the same external design as the current iPhone 12, including coming in Pro and normal models and three different sizes. It could feature a smaller notch at the top of the display, improved camera features, and a better processor, according to various rumours.

The event is also likely to play host to the reveal of a new Apple Watch. But the wearable could be difficult to buy – rumours have suggested that manufacturing problems could mean its release date is delayed, or that it is difficult to buy when it launches.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is rumoured to bring the first major redesign to the line in years, increasing the size of the display and making the sides flatter, in line with changes that have already come to the iPhone, iPad and iMac.

The company could use the event to introduce new products, too. It has been rumoured to be working on a new iPad Mini, updates to its Macs, and more.

It is also likely to announce the public launch of iOS 15, which brings features including new “Focus” tools and other changes intended to improve the way notifications work. Other products are likely to get the software updates that were unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference event in June –?though the new version of MacOS is sometimes delayed to be released slightly later in the year.