Apple has proved the rumor-mongers correct, using yesterday's launch event to announce the iPhone 6, a larger screen variant, a smart watch and a mobile payment service.
The much-anticipated larger-screen iPhone has been given the brand name the iPhone 6 Plus, and has a 5.5-inch screen compared to Apple's conventional 4.7-inches.
The phone will ship alongside the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. Both will be the thinnest iPhones ever, use the 64-bit A8 processor and run on the new iOS 8, Apple said.
Included in both models is an M8 motion coprocessor, designed to work with fitness trackers and other devices that use motion sensors all day to help conserve battery life on the devices.
In an October software update, the iPhone 6 models will be upgraded to support Apple Pay, the company's new contactless mobile payment service that has analysts expecting an m-payment market upheaval.
Apple said it had partnered with American Express, MasterCard and Visa for the service, and plans to expand it to iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S users in the future. It will use biometrics linked to the iPhone TouchID as a security safeguard.
Also on display yesterday was Apple's much-rumored smart watch. Despite – or perhaps because of – the fact that Apple was expected to name the product the iWatch, Apple has instead called it simply the Apple Watch.