New Apple iPhone expected to be unveiled at Sept. 14 event

Apple Inc. scheduled an event for Sept. 14, called “California Streaming,” at which the company is expected to unveil its latest line of iPhones.

Since 2013, Apple has typically rolled out new iPhone models each September. Last year, the occasion was delayed until October amid production setbacks attributed to the pandemic. The Cupertino, Calif.-based computing giant didn’t specify what it plans to do at this year’s event, and didn’t immediately respond to questions.

As it was last year, Apple’s presentation will be streamed online because of the coronavirus pandemic, a departure from the company’s tradition of unveiling new products in front of auditoriums packed with journalists and insiders.

After Apple introduced relatively significant upgrades to its popular smartphones last year, analysts are expecting more incremental changes to the lineup in 2021. Improvements could focus on adding to the capabilities of the phone’s camera and prolonging battery life, Apple analyst Gene Munster of venture-capital firm Loup Capital said last month.

Last year’s U.S. iPhone 12 models were the first from Apple to include 5G connectivity, which improves download speeds. This year’s phones could add that capability in more places around the world, Monness Crespi Hardt analyst Brian White said last month.

The phones’ yearly September rollout typically brings an immediate surge in sales to early adopters, a boost for Apple that shows up in results for its fiscal fourth quarter. When the new models were delayed until October last year amid the pandemic, iPhone revenue dropped 21% year over year in the September-ending quarter. Holiday-season sales of the phones in the three months that followed, however, helped lift Apple to its best-ever quarterly revenue of $111.4 billion.

The new iPhones are also likely to lead some users to take a closer look at the one they have and whether it is worth an upgrade or not.