Apple is preparing for a busy close to the year with the debut of new iPhone and iPad models, which it hopes will help it retain its position in the increasingly crowded smartphone and tablet markets.
After minimal product introductions since last year, Apple will unveil a new iPhone at a September 10th event, according to a person familiar with the plans.
New iPad models, including an iPad with a thinner body design and an iPad mini with a high-resolution screen, will be unveiled later, two people said. Software for the devices, as well as for Mac computers, will also be revamped, Apple said in June.
The updates will enable Apple to present a refreshed line-up of its top-selling products to consumers ahead of the year-end Christmas shopping season. The iPhone and iPad accounted for almost 70 per cent of the company’s sales last quarter.
The releases come at a critical time for Apple, whose stock has slumped by a third from a record in September amid slowing profit growth and a dearth of product debuts. “To drive growth you need to have that next iPhone and iPad refreshed,” said Brian Marshall, an analyst at ISI Group.
Cheaper model
He said Apple would probably introduce a less expensive iPhone next month to appeal to budget-conscious customers, especially those in developing markets outside the US and Europe.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said the company will introduce new products starting in the autumn and “across 2014”.
A spokeswoman for Apple declined to comment.
After popularising the use of touchscreen smartphones and tablets, the company is battling rivals such as Samsung , Google and Asustek.
The planned new full-size iPad, with a 9.7in screen, will have a body that more closely resembles the iPad mini, with a thinner bezel than the current version, said the people. It will be the first redesign since March 2012, when Apple introduced a high-resolution iPad.
The iPad mini being sold now, with a 7.9in screen, does not have the same high-definition display featured on the iPhone and larger iPad.
Apple’s share of the tablet market slid to 32 per cent in the second quarter, from 60 per cent a year earlier, according to market research firm IDC. Tablet shipments are slowing in anticipation of new models from the company, IDC said last week. – (Bloomberg)
