Apple to unveil iPhone 5S on Sept. 10

On Tuesday, Apple announced a Sept. 10 event at which it is expected to unveil the next iPhone and a cheaper iPhone, too.

The invitation to the event reads, “This should brighten everyone’s day.” It has an Apple logo surrounded by circles in a variety of colors, signaling the new phones will go beyond the current limited choice of black and white models.

The event will come six days after Apple’s archrival Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Note 3 phablet, or phone-tablet hybrid, in Berlin. The Note 3 is expected to hit shelves in Korea before the Chuseok holiday in mid-September, whereas the new iPhone 5S and 5C aren’t likely to arrive here soon, given precedents of Apple’s launches.

Last year, the long-awaited iPhone 5 was rolled out in September in the U.S., as well as many other countries, but only began selling in Korea three months later due to company policy and procedural errors in registering the device with the local communications watchdog.

Along with the new phones, the Cupertino, California-based company will publicly take the wraps off iOS 7, its latest mobile operating system, which has been in beta testing for months. Apple says the OS upgrade will involve “an all-new design and all-new features,” although critics have shown scant enthusiasm for the new designs for the home screen and apps icons.

The iPhone 5C is rumored to be a low- or medium-priced model, with a plastic back but similar features to the normal iPhone.

Ahead of the impending release of it and the iPhone 5S, prices of older iPhone models, including the iPhone 5, plummeted at major U.S. retailer Walmart. It has allowed the cost of a new iPhone 5 (with a two-year contract) to fall to $98 for a 16GB model, effective last Friday.

BY SEO JI-EUN [spring@joongang.co.kr]