Suspense builds for Apple iWatch

Apple fans are bracing themselves for the release of the new iPhone - and a rumoured wearable smartwatch called the iWatch - with the Californian giant set to launch the new products tonight.

Tech circles have been abuzz for months over the impending launch of the new products, with Apple almost certainly set to reveal its new iPhone 6 - with a larger display and sturdier sapphire screen - at an event in California.

The phone is expected to hit the shelves in WA within two weeks of the launch, with suggestions it will cost more than $1000.

And in what would be its first new product since it launched the iPad in 2010, tech insiders are certain Apple will jump into the burgeoning world of wearable technology with the iWatch.

Reports on the look and features of the watch vary but it is expected to have a touch screen and be able to connect to a user's iPhone or iPad.

Apple's main rival Samsung has produced several wearable devices and the iWatch is expected to follow its lead with messages, emails and notifications on the screen - like a smartphone on the wrist.

The watch will also function as a pedometer and health monitor.

Leaks last week suggested the iWatch and iPhone 6 would also be electronic wallets.

In an attempt to build suspense around its products and the "cult of Apple", the company has been coy about the launch.

An Apple Australia spokesman in California for the event told _ The West Australian _the company had no official comment on the event.

Apple is banking on the release of the new products to help push it back into the number one spot for smartphone sales in Australia.

According to technology research firm Telsyte, 51 per cent of Australian smartphone users have an Android device - the operating system used by brands such as Samsung and HTC - and 42 per cent have an iPhone.