Aug 23 (Reuters) - Apple ( AAPL ) is planning its

biggest product launch event of the year on Sept. 10, during

which it will unveil the latest iPhones, watches and AirPods,

Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with

the situation.

The company is making preparations for that date, even

though the timing has not yet been announced, following which

the phones will go on sale on Sept. 20, in line with Apple's ( AAPL )

typical approach in recent years, the report said.

Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for

comment.

Analysts see a strong upgrade cycle for the iPhone 16 series

and Apple ( AAPL ) is expected to launch what they call the biggest

software upgrade for the iPhone. It includes artificial

intelligence features and comes at a time when rivals such as

Samsung have been quicker to roll out similar services.

The new launches come as Apple ( AAPL ) forecasts more gains, betting

on AI to attract buyers even as its overall China business

disappointed in the third quarter.

Sales in Apple's ( AAPL ) third-largest market China declined 6.5%,

wider than expectations of a drop of 2.4%, according to Visible

Alpha.

During its annual developer conference in June, Apple ( AAPL )

unveiled a long-awaited AI strategy, integrating its new "Apple

Intelligence" technology across its suite of apps, including

Siri and bringing OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT to its devices.

Apple ( AAPL ) still remains overly reliant on sales of the iPhone

and some analysts said any boost from the new AI features was

unlikely to materialize in the short term.

(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Arun Koyyur)