Apple Inc. (AAPL-Q399.26-3.91-0.97%) is expected to unveil its much-awaited new iPhone next week.
Apple on Tuesday invited media to a “special event” titled “Let’s talk iPhone” to be held at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., on Oct. 4.
The invitation did not contain any other details and a call to Apple was not immediately returned.
The company's legendary secrecy on product releases was tested when former Vice President Al Gore, who sits on Apple's board, has said recently that he believes Apple's new iPhones will be released in October.
The event will likely be the first major product launch in the company’s recent history not presided over by Steve Jobs, who handed the CEO job over to Tim Cook on August 24, 2011.
The company's shares have since hit their highest level ever.
“This is the iPhone 5,” ThinkEquity analyst Mark McKechnie said of the event.
Though a good product, the current iPhone4 could use some improvements, he added. “We talked about it having a bigger screen, a dual core processor, and probably integrates pretty well with the iCloud.”
The iPhone — introduced in 2007 with the touchscreen template now adopted by its rivals — remains the gold standard in the booming smartphone market.
Apple introduced the iPhone 4 in June 2010 in black 16 gigabyte and 32 gigabyte versions, with white ones added to the lineup in April. The company typically refreshes its iPhone lineup during its developer event in June, but delayed the new model this year.
Apple sold 20.34 million iPhones in the third quarter ended June 25, which analysts say helped it vault past Nokia and Samsung Electronics to become the world’s biggest smartphone maker.
Shares of Apple were up 0.5 percent at $405.26 in midday trading.
The text of the invite says it will begin with “breakfast and coffee bar at 9:00 a.m.” followed by an “executive presentation at 10:00 a.m.”
Reports of features in the new iteration of the popular phone have run rampant in recent weeks, the device is rumoured to run on a dual-core processor and come equipped a better camera. There are suggestions Apple may also announce a stripped-down iPhone 4 to sell in expanding markets such as China.
Also on Tuesday, tech blog Mashable suggested that Facebook will launch it's long-delayed iPad app at the same event.
