Apple’s next online-only launch will be Sept. 15 — and AR could play a role

This story is part of Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest news from Apple headquarters.

Apple has set the date for its next event. The company’s latest devices — which will likely include the sixth-generation Apple Watch and a new iPad — will be unveiled on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. PT. Like Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the iPhone event will be held entirely online amid continued concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Apple’s event will be streamed via its website.

Apple’s invite, posted on its website, included a variation on its logo, done in swirling blue lines that turns out to be a bit of AR trickery. The invite sent to reporters included another clue: the phrase “Time Flies.” That hints at the event focusing on the Apple Watch, Apple’s popular wearable, instead of the first 5G iPhone. 

Apple typically holds a flashy product launch in September to show off its newest iPhones. The Apple Watch, iPad and other devices typically take a back seat to Apple’s key smartphone, and the company at times holds another event in October for its iPads and Macs. 

This time around, though, Apple likely will focus on its wearable and tablet for its Sept. 15 event. Apple has said its newest iPhones, which will sport super-fast 5G connectivity, will be delayed “by a few weeks” this year because of production issues related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It’s likely the new iPhones will arrive in October, and Apple will hold a new event at that time to focus on its phones. 

While the bulk of Apple’s revenue still comes from the iPhone, it has been diversifying its operations. 

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This fall’s Apple product launch is expected to touch off a wave of upgrade purchases, analysts say, with fans eyeing the iPhone’s rumored new 5G capabilities and its new boxier look, similar to that of the iPad Pro. Flashier rivals — such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 2 5G, with its foldable display, or Microsoft’s Surface Duo, with two screens sandwiched together — offer new spins on the standard metal-and-glass smartphone construction. But most consumers will be gravitating toward what they know.

This year, Apple’s expected to again announce three new models of its iPhone, replacing the $799 iPhone 11, $999 iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, which started at $1,099 when it launched last year. The prices are expected to largely remain the same, but Apple’s expected to upgrade the devices’ features, including better cameras, faster chips and the company’s newest software, iOS 14. Imortantly, they’ll be the first iPhones with 5G and a new, iPad-inspired design.

But perhaps the biggest standout of Apple’s product lineup in late 2020 may be its newest computer, which will be the first device powered by what the company calls Apple Silicon, or its own microprocessing chip. 

Apple hasn’t shared many details about its newest computers, which will replace the Intel processors Apple’s relied on for 14 years with chips similar to the ones powering its iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs. Apple said it’ll continue to sell Intel-powered computers for now, but it’s clear where the company is headed.

“Hardware and software is fundamental to everything we do,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said when announcing the effort this summer. “It will take Mac to the next level.”

It also appears there’s an augmented reality component to Apple’s event on Sept. 15. When viewed on an iPhone, the Apple invite logo morphs into the event’s date: 9.15.

AR could provide Apple with a way to show people its new devices without having to be there in person. Tech companies have been trying to figure out the best way to hold virtual demo rooms, a key part of any product launch. Last week, Samsung released a gamified tour of a digital home with its new devices.

Apple has been pushing AR over the past several years. The most notable example is the popularity of the Pokemon Go game on its iPhones. The company also has been working on AR and VR goggles, but it’s unlikely