It’s that time of the year again, when Apple unveils its latest gadgets ahead of the holiday season.
On Tuesday, the iPhone maker will hold its annual product event — virtually, because of the coronavirus pandemic — and present its newest lineup. The new products — including iPhones and Apple Watch — will have a strong focus on screens, in an era when people are increasingly glued to them.
The company plans to broadcast a video presentation starting at 10 a.m. Pacific time to show new iPhones with improved displays and Apple Watches with slightly larger screens, according to people briefed on the event, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the products. Apple declined to comment.
The aesthetic of the new iPhones will closely resemble that of last year’s models, the people said. The biggest change will be to the screen, which will have what is known as a higher “refresh rate” that will make videos and motion look smoother. The camera will also be improved, the people said.
The new Apple Watch will also look similar to last year’s models but will include slightly larger displays that can show more pixels, the people briefed on the products said. That will make images and text shown on the watch face look more compelling.
All told, this year’s upgrades are expected to be modest compared with last year’s introduction of the iPhone 12, which had an overhauled design and support for 5G, the new, faster cellular technology. That generation of iPhones helped double Apple’s profits in recent quarters.
Apple is announcing its newest products against a backdrop of antitrust and privacy concerns.
On Monday, the company issued emergency software updates after security researchers uncovered a flaw that allows highly invasive spyware from Israel’s NSO Group infect people’s Apple devices without so much as a click.
Last week, a federal judge ruled that Apple was not engaging in monopolistic behavior as part of a verdict in an antitrust lawsuit brought by Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite. But she also told Apple that it had to allow app developers to communicate with their customers and advertise payment methods outside the App Store, which would let developers dodge Apple’s commission.
Apple had already agreed to several concessions to app makers in recent weeks and also said it would pay $100 million as part of a settlement with small app developers. It is expected to appeal the judge’s decision.
Apple also said this month that it would postpone a planned feature aimed at cracking down on images of child sexual abuse on iPhones after privacy advocates said the move could lead to increased digital surveillance.
