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Time for another Apple event, and this one could be jam-packed.
The electronics giant has set its next product launch for 10 a.m. PT Wednesday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
CNET will follow the event live. You can tune into our coverage an hour before Apple gets started.
Apple typically introduces its newest iPhones each September, followed by another event in October for the iPad. This year may be an exception. Many industry watchers predict that Apple will use Wednesday’s event to showcase both of its mobile devices.
The company is expected unveil the iPhone 6S and its Plus-size sibling. The likely marquee feature for the new phones will be the Force Touch technology used in the Apple Watch. Force Touch refers to a display that responds to various degrees of finger pressure. A new case color could be in the works as well. Some rumors suggest that Apple may tweak the device’s display and materials and slightly alter the design to incorporate a larger battery.
The company may also introduce new iPads, possibly including a long-awaited 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and a new Apple TV streaming-media device. Apple TV hasn’t been updated in three years. Apple could likewise launch iOS 9 and Mac OS X El Capitan software first shown in June. This is all speculation for now because Apple does not comment on what it will announce at launch events.
While iPad and Apple TV updates may steal the show, the iPhone remains vital to Apple’s overall business. Since Apple’s year-ago launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — its first smartphones with big screens at 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, respectively — phones have accounted for about two-thirds of the company’s total revenue.
Meanwhile, the iPad has become a smaller part of Apple’s business, with sales falling year over year for six consecutive quarters. The introduction of a larger iPad has the potential of giving that segment a boost.
Editors’ note: This story originally published September 4.
