Apple Inc said on Thursday it will host an event on Sept. 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater in the company's Cupertino, California, campus, where it is widely expected to unveil new iPhone models.

Analysts believe Apple plans to release three new smartphones this year, including a one with a larger display than previous models. Analysts also expect Apple to release an iPhone with a edge-to-edge display similar to the iPhone X but using less costly LCD screen technology.

Apple's event invitation made heavy use of the color gold, fueling speculation on social media that the company plans to launch a gold-colored successor to the iPhone X, which was only made available in silver and gray last year.

Documents filed at the US Federal Communications Commission unsealed earlier this year showed Apple had sought approval for a gold version of its iPhone X, but it never released the color.

Shares in Apple were up 2.2 percent to an all-time high of $227.97.

Apple has for years released its new phone models in the second week of September, and often updates other product lines such as the Apple Watch at the event. The company has already given base-model iPads and some MacBook laptops an update this year.

Apple typically starts selling new iPhones a few weeks after launching them, in time for the holiday shopping season. It broke with that practice last year by releasing the iPhone X weeks later than usual, prompting concerns the flagship model might sell fewer units during what is typically Apple's biggest sales quarter.

But those fears turned out to be unfounded, and the iPhone X, priced at $999 and up, has helped Apple beat Wall Street sales expectations.

First Published:Aug 30, 2018 10:42 PM IST