Apple has announced an event for 9 September local time, beginning at 2:00 a.m. Japan time on 10 September. The iPhone 18 series is widely expected to be among the models announced, while attention is also focused on the price of the foldable model.
Apple has formally announced that it will hold an event at its headquarters on 9 September local time, or 2:00 a.m. Japan time on 10 September, with the iPhone 18 series expected to be announced as in previous years. Developments related to new desktop PC models have also been reported, highlighting the approach of the peak sales season.
While awaiting confirmation of the announcement details, the article focuses on the possibility of a foldable iPhone and also discusses developments among competitors. Rivals including Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 and Motorola's Razr Fold have adopted new screen aspect ratios, suggesting that competition in the foldable category is intensifying.
As for pricing, the article compares the Galaxy Z Fold8's official direct-sales price in Japan of ¥269,880 with the ¥214,800 direct-sales price of the current top-end iPhone 17 Pro Max. Another view is that, given the component costs of the folding mechanism, a price below ¥250,000 is unlikely.
Personally, I expect the key question to be whether the base configuration of the foldable iPhone will exceed ¥300,000, and the market outlook could be affected by the actual pricing set at the event. The article takes a wait-and-see stance pending the announcement and follows further developments.