SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Tuesday sent invitations to an online event on Sept. 15 that is expected to star in the first iPhone designed for ultra-fast 5G telecommunications networks.
The typically closed-lipped tech titan only revealed that the presentation will air starting at 1700 GMT (10:30 PM IST) from its Silicon Valley headquarters.
Copies of the emailed invitation spread quickly on social media, with a video snippet version of the Apple logo in blue being undone on the date of the event.
The invitation was also posted on Apple’s website, where the event will be broadcast.
Apple has routinely held events around this time of year to introduce new iPhones, and expectations are that this time the spotlight will shine on a 5G model, with the possibility of other new phones as well.
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a note to investors that a review of Apple’s supply chain in Asia strengthened his confidence in an iPhone 12 “supercycle” that began with the launch of several new models in October.
Ives saw the China market as a “key ingredient in Apple’s recipe for success,” expecting it to account for about 20 percent of iPhone updates in the next year.
Reuters
The iPhones are on display at the upcoming Apple Marina Bay Sands store in Singapore.
5G networks are touted as promising an exponential leap in the amount and speed of wireless data, enabling advancements in autonomous vehicles, virtual reality, connected health, and more as sensors and servers communicate instantly.
Technology analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group cautioned that Apple might not have the chip technology for a 5G iPhone despite wanting one on the market.
Last year, Apple made a $ 1 billion deal to acquire most of Intel’s smartphone modem business, a move that gives the iPhone maker more control over its supply chain.
The deal came after Intel announced that it was abandoning its efforts to compete with smartphone modem chips synchronized with 5G networks.
Apple has been investing in its own mobile chips to increase the performance and functions of its devices and reduce its dependence on the industry leader Qualcomm.
“If you have a premium phone, I don’t see how you would do it without 5G,” Enderle said.
Smartphone rivals typically release updated models ahead of the year-end gifting season, which could be tempered this time by the economic disruption caused by the pandemic.
Virtual Meetings, 5G and Shared Spectrum: The Top 5 Tech Trends We Will See on the …
Technological innovation
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives and lifestyles of people around the world.
In this new reality, communication technology offers solutions to overcome some of the challenges posed by the pandemic. With social distancing and working from home becoming the new reality, technology trends will have to catch up. Parag Naik, Co-Founder and CEO of Saankhya Labs tells us what trends in technology we can expect in a post-Covid world.
Virtual meetings
Apps like Zoom and Google Meet have already seen a surge in users. From meetings with just 4-5 participants, to large international seminars and conferences with thousands of participants, everyone has already moved online. This trend is likely to continue in the post-Covid world as people maintain the label of social distancing.
Online education
Dedicated educational apps have seen tremendous growth as students learn concepts on their mobile phones. Some universities have also conducted online tests. Some of these trends are expected to continue in the post-Covid period as well.
Many colleges and school boards of education have recommended that schools and colleges attempt to complete a portion of the curriculum online, even after the situation becomes normal.
5G
With the growing demand for faster and higher bandwidth networks due to remote work, 5G, which is the next generation network designed with “service-based” architecture, could be adopted more quickly.
5G provides higher quality of service based on the ‘Slice’ network, which caters to a particular type of service, such as IoT, low latency applications, etc.
Shared spectrum
Technology trends make it clear that in a post-Covid world, more content will be seen and consumed on mobile devices, whether it’s in the form of video conferencing for a meeting, an online class, or video for entertainment. Even before the pandemic, video made up more than 70% of the content streamed over the mobile network.
This will increase exponentially in the post-Covid world and will overload mobile networks that are not designed to handle such a load. To avoid network congestion and improve the user experience, media companies will use “shared” spectrum.
Reuters