Don't expect the iPhone 13 event to be in-person — Gurman

Anyone who had been hoping that Apple's iPhone 13 announcement would be an in-person affair now looks set to be disappointed, with a virtual event much more likely. That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman via his latest Power On newsletter.

With Apple's previous iPhone announcement having taken place via a pre-recorded stream, as have many more of Apple's events, there had been some hope that the 2021 iPhone situation would be different. That now seems unlikely, however, especially following the news that Apple has decided to delay forcing its employees to return to work at their offices.

It's Gurman's belief that Apple will not be able to run an in-person event, instead preferring to use the same virtual format that served it so well last year.

If all Apple employees were back in the office as originally planned, and if cases of infections were low, it'd be plausible to think Apple would be gearing up for its first in-person product event since 2019. Instead, expect another promotional video on Apple's website and YouTube, plus a focus on online sales.

Apple has transitioned to virtual events well over the last year and some would prefer that it continues them even when the world returns to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic. That seems unlikely, however, given Apple's love of in-person events and the benefits that can come from giving journalists hands-on time with newly-announced products.

All being well we expect Apple to announce iPhone 13 — its best iPhone yet, no doubt — in or around September. We also expect new Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac announcement before 2021 comes to a close as well.