Apple holding iPhone 5 event on October 4
(source: cnet.com)
As expected, Apple will be holding an
iPhone event next Tuesday at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
The company sent an e-mail to select reporters earlier today, saying
the event will start at 10 a.m. PT next week with an "executive
presentation." Although Apple didn't specifically mention the
iPhone 5 by name, speculation abounds that the company will unveil one, or perhaps two, iPhones at the event.
Rumors have been swirling for months
over when Apple would finally unveil its next iPhone. In previous
years, Apple has shown off a new version of its popular smartphone at
the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. However, the new iPhone was
conspicuously missing from this year's event, prompting the rumor mill
to speculate that Apple would wait until September or October to show
off its latest handset.
Last week, All Things Digital reported, citing sources, that Apple would be holding a special event on October 4
that would be led by its new CEO Tim Cook. The publication's sources
said that the new iPhone would go on sale "within a few weeks" after the
announcement, pegging the release at late October.
Exactly what Apple might show off at the event, though, is unknown.
Some reports have suggested that the company could offer a new iPhone
boasting only minor updates compared to its predecessor, the
iPhone 4.
Still others have said Apple's next iPhone will boast 4G connectivity,
an edge-to-edge display, and several other major improvements.
There
is also some question over how many iPhones will be demoed at the
event. Early rumors have suggested that Apple would show off a single
iPhone, but J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz said earlier this month
that he expects Apple to launch two new smartphones this year. That
sentiment was echoed by former U.S. Vice President and Apple board
member Al Gore, who hinted last week that Apple was readying two iPhones.
"Not to mention the new iPhones coming out next month," Gore said during the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in South Africa.
Besides the iPhone, Apple will likely discuss iOS 5 and its cloud-based service, iCloud, which it unveiled at WWDC earlier this year.
Lost
amid the discussion of new iPhones and iOS 5, however, is Tim Cook.
Although Cook has quite a bit of experience at Apple events, this will
be the first time he'll attend a launch as CEO. As noted, AllThingsD
reported that Cook will lead the event, assuming the role that Apple
Chairman Steve Jobs took on when he was CEO by coming out in the
beginning and discussing major launches, while leaving many of the
details to other executives.
There is a lot riding on Cook's
showing at the event. The Apple CEO's presentation could go under the
microscope of shareholders that want to see if he has the stage presence
to deliver the larger-than-life persona Jobs brought to his company's
major product announcements. What's more, shareholders will want to see
if Apple's event with Cook at the helm will carry the same weight as
those led by Jobs over the years.
But Cook isn't the only one to
be lost in the iPhone's shadow. Conspicuously missing from Apple's
invitation is any hint that music might be involved. The invitation
itself is a clever play on iPhone icons that tell recipients when and
where the event is, but it's also a departure from the display of a
musical instrument or anything suggesting that we'll see iPods too.
For
the past several years, September has been the time we see new iPods,
but the month is nearly over, and it now seems unlikely that they'll be
getting any fanfare of their own. Of course, that won't be much of a
change, considering that there has been a general lack of iPod-related
rumors over the past six months, short of reports of a white iPod Touch
model and a return of the camcorder to the touch-screen version of the
iPod Nano.
Then again, trying to predict what Apple will do at an
event is difficult. Although discussions on the iPhone, iOS 5, and
iCloud are a sure bet, there's no telling if Cook will pull out a "one
more thing" at the end of the presentation.
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