The device market is ratcheting up for a busy September, as OEMs seek to take advantage of the upcoming holiday shopping season. Sony and Samsung will apparently be looking to beat Apple to the punch, with Sept. 4 product announcements.
According to multiple reports, Apple is scheduled to take the wraps off new iPhone models on Sept. 10, although Apple has not yet officially confirmed that date.
Samsung will unveil a watch with smarpthone capabilities, as well as a new iteration of its phablet, the Galaxy Note. According to a report from Bloomberg that cites people familiar with the matter, Samsung is hoping to get out ahead of Apple’s much-rumored iWatch product.
Reports earlier this month claimed that Apple had a team of around 100 people working on a watch-like device.
Sony is reportedly also planning to launch a new Xperia handset on Sept. 4, which will feature imaging sensors that the company uses in its TVs and Cameras.
Bloomberg notes that both the Samsung and Sony announcements are scheduled for two days prior to the start of the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, which runs from Sept. 6-11.
Apple has struggled in recent months on investor perception and slowing sales, but the company still remains a formidable competitor in the smarpthone and tablet markets. Now, the industry waits to see whether Cupertino can produce another game-changing product in the post-Steve Jobs era.
While an “iWatch” would certainly usher in a new product category for Apple to take advantage of what some estimate could be a $60 billion market in wearables, CEO Tim Cook has already expressed reservations about one competitor’s take on the segment.
During a recent interview at the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D confernce, Cook called the “wearables” market a “profoundly interesting” one, but he also said that a device like Google Glass might not have broad appeal.