Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) plans to host an event in California on September 12 when the company is expected to unveil three new iPhone models.
The announcement sent shares to a record high of more than US$228 each on Thursday and remained around this price in early Friday trading.
It is speculated that Apple will release two upgraded versions of the iPhone X – one with the same 5.8-inch OLED display and another with a larger 6.5-inch screen.
A third phone is expected to be released with an edge-to-edge display similar to the iPhone X but using less-costly LCD screen technology.
Good as gold
Apple, which became the first publicly traded US company to reach a US$1.0trn market value earlier this month, used plenty of gold in its invitation to the event at its Cupertino campus. This fuelled rumours the company plans to launch a gold-coloured iPhone X, which was available in silver and grey last year.
READ: Apple beats Amazon in race to a $1 trillion market cap
Documents filed at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this year revealed that Apple had asked for approval for a gold successor to its iPhoneX.
9to5Mac, a website dedicated to Apple news and rumours, posted photos of two gold iPhone models shortly after the documents at the FCC were unsealed and said the new flagship handset will be called the iPhone XS. It has declined to say how it obtained the images but has insisted they were Apple’s actual planned products.
New Apple Watch
The website also reported that Apple plans to release a new version of the Apple Watch with a larger display by reducing the size of its edges.
Apple typically unveils its new products in the second week of September and beings selling iPhones a few weeks after launching them in time for the holiday season.
iPhone X sales performance
It released the 10th anniversary smartphone, the iPhone X, last September at US$999. At the time analysts were sceptical on whether Apple customers would stay loyal to brand and pay the hefty asking price for the iPhone X.
iPhone X sales rose more than analysts’ expected in the second quarter but fell short of estimates in the third quarter as consumers held out for the next model.