Apple sent out invites for September special event focusing on iPhone

Apple's September 10 iPhone event is now official as invitations are sent to the press. It's colourful and it looks like this:

Apple has just sent out invites for a September 10 special event focusing on iPhone. The event is set to take place at 10 AM PT on the 10th at the Apple Campus in Cupertino, according to the invite, which will probably come as no surprise to those who watch the company and the rumors surrounding its impending product launches.

Apple is said to be unveiling multiple devices on the day, including a lower-cost iPhone “5C” as it’s been dubbed in the press, as well a more expensive iPhone 5 successor, possibly called the iPhone 5S. The 5S is supposed to have an improved camera, as well as improved internals and anew gold color option, while the iPhone 5C will reportedly feature a plastic backing with internals essentially unchanged from the iPhone 5. 

The invite features the phrase “This should brighten everyone’s day,” along with a graphic depiction of multi-colored dots, which suggest leaks of iPhone hardware with different color casings are on the money at least.

A lot of attention will be on what Apple reveals at this event, not only because it could mark the first time Apple announces more than one new iPhone model launching at or around the same time. There’s also iOS 7, Apple’s first major visual overhaul of its mobile OS, which is due to arrive likely around the same time as the iPhone ships. That’s probably going to happen on or before Sept. 20 or thereabouts, if early reports prove accurate.

Other highlights of the show will likely include more details about iTunes Radio, which should launch to US users at least along with iOS 7. But hardware will probably be the star of the show, as the world tunes in to see what Apple plans to do to increase the global reach of its smartphone devices, extending it to markets that previously might have felt the pricing pinch with Apple’s decidedly premium approach to mobile thus far.

We’ll be in attendance at the event live, bringing you all the latest on Apple’s brand new smartphone plans for 2013.

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iPhone expected to star at Apple event September 10

Apple on Tuesday fired off invitations to a September 10 event at which it is expected to spice up its iPhone line and unveil a low-priced version.

In true Apple style, the invitations revealed little. The message, "This should brighten everyone's day" was below the company logo on a page dotted with brightly colored circles.

The design seemed to lend credence to unconfirmed reports that Apple plans to release iPhones in a rainbow of colors, including gold.

The special event will take place at Apple's headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino.

Apple is widely believed to be readying two new versions of its iPhone, with one a less expensive model to win over budget buyers in emerging markets such as China.

Apple's move comes as pressure mounts from rivals such as Samsung that field a Android-powered smartphones running the gamut of prices.

Speculation has centered around whether Apple will shift its strategy of focusing on premium devices priced at the high-end of the market to include a lower-cost handset appealing to people with tight budgets.

While new iPhones promise to grab attention, a centerpiece of the Apple event will be the dramatically overhauled touch-screen interface.

In June, Apple unveiled what chief executive Tim Cook branded the biggest change to iOS -- Apple's mobile operating system -- since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.

Jonathan Ive, the man behind the winning hardware designs of Apple products, put his mark on the icons, layout and style of the home and lock screens people use to engage with Apple mobile devices.

The new iOS comes with a hotly anticipated iTunes Radio Service featuring more than 200 stations "and an incredible catalog of music" from Apple's online shop.

The ad-supported free music service "offers music fans access to thousands of new songs every week, as well as serving up exclusive music from new and popular artists before you hear them anywhere else," Apple said.

Apple last week began letting US iPhone owners trade in their smartphones for credit toward buying new models.

As the smartphone market in the United States and other Western countries matures, companies may have better luck encouraging upgrades rather than reaching out to first-time buyers, according to Gartner analyst Van Baker.

Motives for Apple's trade-in program likely include keeping iPhone users loyal to the smartphones as well as the lucrative iTunes shop for digital music, films, and books.

"Keeping people in the fold is what it is all about," Baker said.

South Korean Samsung has found global success with smartphones powered by Google's free Android software, which now dominates the market.

-AFP

iPhone 5C glimpsed in blue and other colors, looks decent

Previous look at the iPhone 5C wasn't especially flattering, as it only showed the plain white version of the rumored handset. 

The newer image above is impossible to authenticate, but it's a tad more sympathetic and it comes from a batch of photos of yellow, pink and blue plastic iPhones (or perhaps knock-offs) that briefly appeared on Chinese site iapps.imbefore being deleted at the request of a "relevant party." 

Although there are definitely some echoes of Nokia's Lumia 620 here, the close-up shot of the blue model suggests we may be looking at something a bit thinner, with slightly less rounded edges, and with a non-removable unibody that may also have a more serious matte finish -- although the translucent packaging makes it hard to be sure.

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New iPad with 128 GB storage announced

Apple is certainly in front again. 128GB of storage capacity to satiate your carving for more space. But I doubt this figure will stay long. 256 GB would be the norm sooner than you think.

Price starts at approximately RM2,459 (WiFi variant)

Available soon!

Apple's current and latest offering is the iPad with Retina display.

Reuters (29 Jan 2013) -- Apple Inc said on Tuesday that it will sell a version of its iPad tablet computer with 128 gigabytes of storage, which is twice the capacity of its existing models.

Apple, which has sold more than 120 million iPads so far, said that the new iPad will go on sale February 5, in black or white, for a suggested retail price of $799 (approx. RM2,459) for the iPad with just Wi-Fi model, and $929 (approx. RM2,859) for the version that also has a cellular wireless connection.


Source: Apple announces new iPad

iPad Mini is here Malaysia - price starts RM999

It's here in Malaysia! Surprisingly it starts at RM999, perhaps trying to outdo Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). But it failed to undercut the rivals back home, the Goggle's Nexus 7 at $199 (RM699).

Malaysia prices:

Wi-Fi only

16GB -    RM999
32GB - RM1,299
64GB - RM1,599

Wi-Fi + Cellular

16GB - RM1,399
32GB - RM1,699
64GB - RM1,999

It's more expensive in Singapore, starting at S$448 (RM1,122) for basic model and S$878 (RM2,199) for the upper model, the 64GB + Cellular.

Who says Apple products are always a lot more expensive!