Apple to hold twin press event in China for new iPhones, rumored simultaneous release of iPhone 5C

For the first time, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will hold separate press events for the expected announcement of the next generation iPhone in both the USA and China. In the past, the events have been exclusive to the US while the rest of the world watches from afar. The event in California will happen one day before China’s at 10 a.m. local time. China’s press events will be held 13 hours later (due to time zone difference) on September 11th at 10 a.m. in Beijing. Nearly identical invitations were sent out in both languages to attend the press conference.

Chinese invitation on the left, English on the right.

Rumors have surfaced that the move by Apple foreshadows a simultaneous release of the next generation of iPhones with the global market. In the past, Apple has always delayed iPhone releases in China by a few months, usually held up by regulatory checks. Also for the first time ever, Apple is expected to announce two iPhones on the same day. One of these is the long-awaited iPhone 5C, a cheaper alternative targeted at developing countries, especially China. It’s unclear whether both versions will be released simultaneously, just the 5C, or if a simultaneous release is actually planned at all.

Tencent’s QQ Tech reported (article in Chinese) the simultaneous release rumor, specifically mentioning China Telecom and China Unicom. China Mobile was left out, so we still aren’t expecting a TD-SCDMA 3G or TD-LTE 4G version of the iPhone anytime in the immediate future.

(Source: QQ Tech)

(Editing by Willis Wee and Steven Millward)