Inside Apple's big September event

By this time last year, Apple had already unveiled the iPhone 11. The year before, it launched the iPhone XS, XR and XS Max on Sept. 13. The year before that, on Sept. 12, the iPhone X ... you get the picture.

Today, though, we're unlikely to see the next version of Apple's flagship device.

The company warned during its last earnings call that disruptions to its supply chain from the coronavirus pandemic will delay the latest iPhone.

"Last year, we started selling iPhones in late September," the company's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said on the call in late July. "This year, we project supply to be available a few weeks later."

The iPhone 12 — Apple's first 5G smartphone — is now expected to launch in October.

Invitations for Tuesday's event said "Time Flies," hinting at updates to the Apple Watch.

Though the line will most likely be led by a 6th-generation Apple Watch, Bloomberg reported that new "low-end" models may be in the offing as well.

Other rumors suggest a new watch could add features such as blood oxygen monitoring and longer battery life.

Health updates have become a key selling point for the watch, which has grown into a blockbuster product since it was first released in 2015. Last year, Apple sold 31 million watches, according to Strategy Analytics -- more than the entire Swiss watch industry in 2019.

Rumblings suggest that Apple may announce a new iPad or iPad Air today.

Bloomberg reported that Apple is readying a refreshed iPad Air with an edge-to-edge display. Meanwhile, various rumors indicate that announcements will include a refreshed lower cost iPad model.

It would be Apple's second iPad launch this year -- the company unveiled an update to its iPad Pro line in March. Apple said at the time that it had sold 500 million iPads to date, and the product has remained the top selling tablet for 10 years.

A new iPad would also have competition from one of Apple's biggest rivals: Samsung released two new tablets last month, the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+, which it claims are the "first tablets that support 5G available in the United States."

Invitations for Tuesday's event fueled rumors that it could announce the iPhone 12, too. However, Bloomberg reported that new iPhones won't launch until October, and Apple previously said new iPhones would ship slightly later than usual this year.

The company has been widely expected to unveil an iPhone 12 with 5G capabilities this fall, which would be the first iPhone to connect to the new, ultra-fast wireless networks being rolled out by carriers.

Analysts expect the 5G iPhone to generate a "supercycle" of device upgrades, potentially prompting millions of people to buy the new device.