What are the secret messages hiding in Apple's iPhone 8 event invite?

In case you've been in hiding over the last 24 hours, Apple has confirmed it will host an event on 12 September where the world will almost certainly see the new iPhone 8 as well as a two other new handsets and a bevy of other tech goodies.

Despite a fairly strong idea of what will be announced that hasn't stopped iPhone fans from participating in the usual hysteria of attempting to decode what hidden messages were in Apple's invitation sent out to key members of the media.

The invitation which surfaced on 31 August was quickly shared on social media showing a large Apple logo and the line "Let's meet at our place" underneath – a reference to the fact this will be the first event held at the Steve Jobs Theatre inside the newly-built Apple Park HQ in Cupertino.

Made in the USA?

Smartphone sleuths quickly began analysing the invitation, particularly the multi-coloured red, white and blue Apple logo and soon theories started to swirl that the patriotic hues could mean the iPhone 8 would be manufactured in the USA.

This would fit with President's Trump's much-voiced desire to bring Apple manufacturing back from overseas to the United States. Also, with Apple revealing in May it will invest $1 billion in US manufacturing and are building three "big, big, big" factories in the country, the theory makes sense.

Other chromatic conspiracies include observation of the use of a copper colour, which fans believe indicate the much rumoured new shade coming to the handset. While another overly analytical Apple fan has picked out colours in the invite to indicate the iPhone 8 will feature an OLED display.

Three's company?

But hang, on. Those who took a closer look might have spotted something even more significant. The somewhat blurry blend of colours reveal distinct shapes, which fan theorists believe reveals three phones all overlapping each other. If this is the case, it would line-up with the rumours that Apple will indeed reveal an iPhone 8 alongside updates to the iPhone 7 range in the form of the 7S.

All white on the night?

Others who decided to put the invite under a microscope claimed the white phone shape could represent a return of the famous fully-white iPhone, which hasn't been available since the iPhone 5.

Wireless charging?

Another speculative shot-in-the-dark from one individual believes the use of red and blue could be symbolic of electrical wires hinting at Apple's expected introduction of wireless charging – although this one was probably more tongue-in-cheek.

Of course, it also didn't take long for social media users to sarcastically react to the feverish theories being shared and poke fun at people desperately looking at something that might not exist.

One Twitter user mocked the rumoured $1,000 price of the iPhone 8 by claiming the white shape on the logo was more likely to be a credit card. Comical use of Photoshop was employed by one user who says they "cracked the code" to show an Apple Home Pod speaker.

Delving into a subreddit uncovers some of the funnier reactions with one jokingly claiming the curved shape is actually a triangle therefore: "illuminati confirmed".

It is quite possible the logo is simply just a mix of colours that a designer thought looked striking and that there are no shapes to be seen. However, it wouldn't be the first time Apple has secretly hidden a message in one of its invites.

Ever since 2011, Apple has stashed hints as to what could be unveiled at their big events. The iPhone 5, which was unveiled on 12 September created a 5 shaped shadow from the date, while the colourful iPhone 5S invite hid the TouchID home button in plain sight.