All you need to know about Apple's September 14 'California Streaming' event

Apple is holding its annual event on Tuesday and owing to COVID-19 pandemic, it will be entirely digital like last year.

Though not official yet, most industry watchers believe a new line of its flagship iPhones will be unveiled.

Since 2013, Apple has delivered new iPhones around September like clockwork. Let's take a quick look at what to expect in this year's event:

iPhone 13
The tech giant, which launched a redesigned iPhone with 5G connectivity last year, is not expected to make radical changes this year.

Most analysts predict small technical updates to the phone's processor and camera system.

The new line of smartphones are expected to expand the Portrait mode feature to video and also have higher-quality video recording format, according to a Bloomberg report.

Ukrainian e-commerce site KTC claims to have leaked all the colours as well as storage configurations of the entire iPhone 13 lineup.

The website revealed that Apple will launch the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini in six colour options: black, blue, purple, pink, white and product red.

The iPhone 13 mini will come with 64GB and 128GB storage options, the vanilla iPhone 13 will launch in 128GB and 256GB storage options.

The iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max will launch in four colours: black, silver, gold, and bronze.

The Pro will come in either 128GB or 256GB storage options while the Max will come in 256GB and 512GB variants.

A recent report also said that the Cupertino-based tech giant will increase the price of the upcoming iPhones to compensate for rising chip production costs.

The iPhone 13 lineup may mirror the iPhone 12 family of phones, with a 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Apple Watch 7 series
Apple is set launch its new Watch at the 14 event, despite facing manufacturing issues during the production stage.

The upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 may feature larger 41mm as well as 45mm case sizes, smaller bezels and a flat-edged design, which would allow for a slightly bigger surface area for the display.

The Apple Watch Series 7 may feature a smaller 'S7' chip, potentially providing more space for a larger battery or other components.

This new chipset will be built by Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology. On its website, ASE Technology confirmed that its double-sided technology will allow for module miniaturisation.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is also planning to introduce a new lamination technique that reduces the gap between the display and the cover glass. Due to this the overall chassis of the Watch may be slightly thicker, news agency IANS reported.

IOS 15
Ahead of the September 14 event, the tech giant has begun teasing iPhone users about upcoming iOS 15 features using a notification from the Tips app.

"See what's coming in 'iOS 15'," reads the notification, as per MacRumors.

"Learn about new features that will help you stay connected and find focus," it added.

Tapping the notification takes users on a brief tour of upcoming features, including Voice Isolation, the new Shared With You section in apps, Safari Tab Groups, Live Text in Photos, system-wide translation, Focus mode, notification summaries and augmented reality walking directions in Maps.

After viewing, the 'iOS 15' preview is showcased in the Collections section of the Tips app, above a similar preview Apple pushed out prior to the release of iOS 14.

Apple is expected to launch 'iOS 15' to the public this month and new iPhone 13 units will likely ship with a pre-installed version of the operating system, the report said.

Historically, Apple has released new iOS versions about a week after its September event, but 'iOS 14' was released one day after Apple's September 15 "Time Flies" event in 2020.

This year's "California Streaming" event is on September 14, which means if 'iOS 14' is any indicator of the company's new release schedule, 'iOS 15' could come out as early as Wednesday, September 15, the report said.

More expected
The Apple AirPods 3, mini-LED MacBook Pro, newer versions of the iPad are other gadgets expected later this year. However, some of these are likely to be showcased during the mega virtual event.

Where to watch?
Apple will live stream the event on its website and YouTube.

(with inputs from IANS and Reuters)