Apple is about to launch what could be the most controversial iPhone in years

The widely-rumoured change to USB-C charging for the iPhone 15 could see a spike in e-waste, as Apple customers upgrading to the latest device will no longer be able to use their old cables.

While this shift to a more standardised charger is designed to ultimately reduce e-waste, environmental experts are encouraging iPhone users to be considerate with any redundant technologies.

Scott Butler, executive director, Recycle Your Electricals, tells The Independent that there are enough cables stashed in UK homes to circle the Earth five times. Here’s what he had to say about what to do with old cables:

Apple’s share price has fallen by around 7 per cent since the start of the month, though the rare setback for the world’s most valuable company may be completely unrelated to today’s event.

The slide began when reports emerged that China might ban government employees from using iPhones in an effort to reduce its dependence on US technologies – similar to what the US has been doing with certain Chinese technologies. China is Apple’s largest international market, accounting for roughly 20 per cent of its revenues, and the news wiped around $200 billion from Apple’s market cap.

Despite the dip, Apple’s share price is still up by nearly 40 per cent since the start of the year. Nevertheless, executives and shareholders will be hoping for a boost today to get out of the latest slump.

Apple provides a host of options for watching today’s event. You can do so on its own events page, for instance, or you can use the Apple Events app on the Apple TV.

The easiest way, however, is probably through YouTube. You can find the video below. If you click through, you can even click to classify yourself as waiting and get a notification when the presentation starts.

With just over an hour to go, the Apple Store has gone down. Users will see a dusty animation, similar to the one in the invite. (That appears to show the colours of the iPhone 14 Pro and the dust might be a reference to a new manufacturing process, but nobody knows for sure.)

Unusually, the Apple Store is up more than usual. The iPhone page is still live, for instance – but if you click to buy anything then it will show you the message about it being down. That’s the same with all Apple products, including those that aren’t expected to be updated today, such as the Macs.

(Probably a couple of watches, and some AirPods that also switch to USB-C. And maybe another look at the headset?)

There’ll be no iPads at this event. That much was known. But there’ll be no new iPads this year, probably, either.

That’s according to usually reliable Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo, on Twitter.

Maybe it won’t be so controversial. This year’s iPhone could also be fairly lacking in excitement. (Or, of course, it could be both dull and controversial; many things are…)

Rumours suggest that there will be no major redesign; it will look mostly like the existing phone. There will be no big changes on the inside, it seems, too.

Apple has a knack for making seemingly normal things look exciting. Will it manage it this year – and how?

… the other big possible controversy is the price. iPhones often go up in price – but it could be even more dramatic this year.

Apple has recently been rumoured to be looking to push into higher-priced, even more premium devices. The first of them was the Apple Watch Ultra, last year. This year might bring the iPhone 14 Ultra, too, which if nothing else might just be a renamed iPhone Pro Max.

The plan seems to be to increase revenues by giving people even more options for spending money. It seems to have worked with the Apple Watch – which, anecdotally, I’ve seen on a lot more people’s wrists than I’d expected.

Previously, it had tried the opposite: cheaper versions of its devices, such as the iPhone Mini and Apple Watch SE. It might keep going with those, too. But it’s pushing at the other end of the price spectrum, as well.