Despite the criticisms leveled at Apple with Tim Cook at the helm, the excitement surrounding a new iPhone announcement is still palpable. And with that fervor come a swell of rumors.
On Sept. 10, it’s widely expected that Apple will introduce the iPhone 5S and a lower-cost model dubbed the iPhone 5C. The invite Apple sent out for the event hints at a colorful announcement and seemingly confirms the imminent arrival of the cheery kaleidoscope of plastic-shelled budget iPhones. But the colorful hint could just be referring to the candy-toned iOS 7, the redesigned operating system that is rumored to be rolling out on Sept. 16.
The iPhone 5S is likely to notch some nominal spec bumps and camera improvements over the iPhone 5 but new, slightly fishy-looking images have reignited rumors that a home button-embedded fingerprint scanner could be the 5S killer app.
Of course, if Cupertino completely shocks tomorrow with a surprise announcement regarding its fabled iWatch, the iPhone news might take a backseat.
That’s unlikely since virtually no details—save for recent executive hires for “special projects”—have surfaced about the rumored wearable.
Apple’s China event scheduled for Sept. 11 makes it more likely that the company could be announcing a long-awaited iPhone deal with China Mobile. Getting in with the largest carrier in the world, with a more cost-effective iPhone in tow, could be just what the doctor ordered for boosting Apple’s market share in China. Depending on the price point for the iPhone 5C, Apple could have a device capable of making it more competitive in a lot of emerging markets.
In the U.S. however, new numbers from Kantar Worldpanel show Apple could be stemming market share losses to Android. The study found Google’s OS losing 7.6 percent share in the U.S. annually while Apple’s American share was up 7.8 percent.
Filed Under: Devices
