iPhone 7 launch: All you need to know about new iPhone

San Francisco - The company usually times introductions to coincide with the year-end holiday shopping season.

Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone and maybe even a second-generation smartwatch at a special event in San Francisco on Wednesday.

The rumour mill has been grinding away with talk of iPhone 7 models that will boast faster chips, more sophisticated cameras and improved software while doing away with jacks for plugging in wired headphones.


To assuage users accustomed to wired headphones, Apple could roll out accessories that include an adaptor that plugs into a remaining port.

The event would also be a chance to showcase wireless headphones, perhaps some from Beats, which Apple bought two years ago in a deal valued at $3 billion.

In the Apple's usual enigmatic style, it provided little more than the date, time and place to the invitation-only gathering.

Apple has maintained a rhythm of introducing updated iPhone models on an annual basis, timing introductions to coincide with the year-end holiday shopping season.

In July, the company announced the sale of its billionth iPhone, a milestone for the company as it seeks to keep momentum in a competitive smartphone market.

Apple reported a drop in iPhone sales in the second quarter of this year, a second straight drop after uninterrupted growth since its introduction in 2007.

Apple could also use the event to showcase updates to other products, such as its smartwatch and laptop computers.

Speculation regarding an Apple Watch 2 was fuelled in part by the fact that the original hardware has not been updated since it debuted in April of last year. - AFP