When is the Next iPhone Coming?

While nothing official has been announced from Apple, it's all but guaranteed that a new iPhone will be announced in September. The real questions are what new features it will have and what other product(s) will also be announced. As you're reading this, keep in mind that absolutely nothing has been announced by Apple at this point. It is all 100% rumor and speculation.

First, the new iPhone. Apple has been on a two-year cycle for significant model changes. Think back: the iPhone 3G, then a minor spec bump to the 3GS. The following year there was a huge change to the iPhone 4 then a minor bump to the 4S. Last year was arguably the largest change ever to the iPhone 5. Most everyone agrees that this year will be a minor change year. The name is one question. Will it be the iPhone 5S, the 5C, the iPhone 6 or something else? Some believe that the iPhone will finally be offered in a variety of colors including a champagne gold color. Others believe that Apple will make a "cheap" version for developing foreign countries. Either of these rumors could be arguments for what the "C" in iPhone 5C could stand for. One rumor that I'm excited about is the addition of a fingerprint sensor. This would help eliminate a password by scanning your thumbprint and could be the precursor for a long-awaited mobile-payment system from Apple.

Many of the rumor mills agree that there will not be a refreshed iPad or iPad Mini announced at this next meeting. That will likely wait until a 2nd Apple announcement in a few months.

The two most rumored new products are an Apple-branded television set (possibly called the iPanel) and an iWatch. Apple's current set-top box, the Apple TV, has been around for a handful of years and is a nice addition to any TV set but, by no means does it change the future of the living room. Before his death, Steve Jobs told his biographer, "I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it." That was a few years ago. Rumors have been running wild about how Apple is approaching the networks for an iTunes-style pick-what-you-want television service. Others expect Apple to come out with a revamped set-top box but not an actual television set. Either way, I'm excited to see what they come up with.

The iWatch is expected to be a conduit to your iPhone that accesses data on your iPhone via bluetooth. For instance, imagine using Siri on your watch to send a text message and check the weather without ever taking your iPhone out of your pocket. Cool, right? Ok, a little dorky but still… sign me up.

The event is expected to be announced for Tuesday, September 10th with the new iPhone going on sale Friday, September 20th. At this event, they'll also review the brand new mobile operating system, iOS 7, and the new desktop operating system, OS X Mavericks which were both announced earlier this year. Apple is expected to make it available a few days after the September 10th event. I'll send a newsletter update with an update from the September 10th announcement to keep my followers up-to-date with the latest Apple news. If you're not already on the newsletter list, sign up here.