Beijing's new product briefing a first for Apple

Apple Inc will for the first time hold a new product briefing in China, with a news event set for next week in Beijing - almost simultaneous with the company's global event to be held in the United States on Sept 10, local time.

On Wednesday, Apple sent invitations to a small group of Chinese journalists for an event in Beijing's World Trade Center building on Sept 11, at which it is widely expected to unveil its next generation of iPhones.

The invitation is almost identical to the US version, but with characters in Chinese. It features circles in pastel shades of green, blue, purple, red and yellow, with an Apple logo in the center.