NEW YORK, Sept 9: Apple’s investors and fans are clamouring for a world-changing new gadget at the tech giant’s media event on Tuesday — a watch, a TV or something hitherto kept secret.

History and rumours suggest they will have to be content with small improvements on existing devices.

Financially, a deal to sell iPhones through China Mobile could matter more. In a cycle kicked off by former chief executive Steve Jobs, Apple typically reveals new products twice a year.

Upgrades to existing hardware tend to occur annually. Completely new products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad are infrequent — those three arrived in 2001, 2007 and 2010, respectively.

Apple watchers shouldn’t, therefore, be surprised if it’s another year or more before the company unveils something truly novel.

Meanwhile, despite Apple’s secrecy, some information leaks because it’s hard to keep the needed huge component orders under wraps.

The whispers suggest the company will unveil two new versions of its smartphone — an update to the iPhone 5, and a cheaper version to appeal to emerging markets. Even if Apple’s top-end handset continues to look the same, the improvements are likely to be significant - if perhaps smaller than the leaps possible in earlier generations of smartphones.

Fingerprint recognition would lure security-conscious and password-averse users and corporations. And better battery life, faster processors and more memory are always desirable. —Reuters