Large-screen iPhone: 9 September's the day

The rumoured iPhone 6 may be unveiled on 9 September at an Apple event. The new phone is expected to have a larger screen and a new processor. Image: Trusted Reviews

While reports have been swirling in recent weeks about the new handsets, this was the first with a precise date that has been given for the event.

Typically, Apple did not comment.

Re/code said the event would be to announce Apple's next-generation iPhones, with screen sizes stretched to 4.7 and 5.5 inches and with a faster processor.

Apple sold about 35m iPhones in the past quarter, lifted by growth in China, but its share of the smartphone market has been shrinking globally.

The research firm Strategy Analytics said the rival Android operating system captured 85% of the worldwide market in the second quarter, and is threatening to marginalise rival platforms.

According to that survey, Apple's global market share fell from 13,4% a year ago to 11,9% currently, .

Some analysts point out Samsung, which has been selling large-screen phones and a wide variety of other handsets, has become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer with a 25% market share.

Apple typically updates its product cycle in the second half of the year, to get a boost from holiday sales.

Last year it unveiled the iPhone 5S and the lower-priced iPhone 5C in September, getting record sales at the launch.

Apple is working on a new operating system which allows for mobile payments and includes a health platform. The system iOS 8 is expected to be in the new iPhones.

But some analysts say Apple needs to come up with a new innovation to maintain its leadership in the technology sector. Reports say Apple is working on a smartwatch and a new interactive television, but the company has said little about either of these.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge