Apple has sent out invitations for an Oct. 13 event called ‘Hi Speed.’ Many think Apple will reveal the iPhone 12, with 5G capabilities at the event.
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Who’s ready for a new iPhone?
Tuesday, Apple will unveil four new editions of one of the best-selling U.S. consumer devices, in a virtual online presentation on Apple’s website and YouTube channel.
Instead of mid-September, when Apple traditionally introduces new iPhones, the company was forced to delay it, due to manufacturing delays in China caused by the COVID crisis.
The big news this year: connectivity to the new, emerging speedy 5G wireless networks, hence Apple’s title for the event “Hi, Speed.”
Apple enthusiast websites peg the four models as starting from $699 to $1,099, similar to the current lineup.
Apple’s next iPhone event (Photo: Apple)
The Mini would have the smallest screen size in the bunch, at 5.4 inches, bigger than the current entry-level model, the SE, which has a 4.7 inch screen. The iPhone 12 will have the same screen size as the 11, at 6.1 inches, according to MacRumours. The top of the line iPhone 12 Pro Max will, at 6.7 inches, be the largest iPhone yet to date.
Andrew Murphy, an analyst with Loup Ventures, says the Mini is directed towards consumers who want a smaller iPhone, “without sacrificing the extra power and speed” from the newer 12 phones. The SE is still more competitively priced, at $399.
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A new Apple smart speaker?
Beyond the new iPhones, Apple looks to finally get competitive with Amazon and Google with a consumer priced smart speaker, according to analyst Angelo Zino, with CFRA Research.
The original HomePod was introduced in early 2018 with a $349 price tag. The new, small HomePod will be “more affordable to consumers,” says Zino. The speaker is expected to sell for $99.
Google just introduced a new version of its Google Home speaker (now called Nest Audio) for $99, and Amazon will ship a new, re-designed edition of the Echo speaker, with what the company says is improved audio, on Oct. 22.
New phone season begun in earnest in early October with the release of Samsung’s S20 FE, a $699, budget version of its flagship S20 Ultra phone, with cheaper material and less camera features and follows Wednesday with the release of Google’s updated Pixel phones, the 5 ($699) and 4A (with 5G) ($499 and $599) which both connect to the 5G networks.
But it’s the new iPhone that most U.S. consumers lust after. Apple sold just under 200 million iPhones in 2019, and shocked Wall Street in its most recent earnings when it announced that even in a pandemic, phone sales (along with iPad and Macintosh computers) had gone up substantially.
Zino believes that trend is going to continue. He says the COVID-19 era has created a real hunger among consumers to get a new iPhone this year and predicts the new round of phones will be Apple’s best-selling since the iPhone 6 was released in 2014.
“Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we think iPhone replacement cycles have now exceeded four years, as many consumers have held off on discretionary purchases like iPhones.”
MacRumours expects the the iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max to be available Friday, October 23, with the Mini hitting stores on November 13.
Apple’s presentation Tuesday begins at 1 p.m. ET.
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