Apple’s Sept. 10 iPhone Event: 10 Things to Expect

By Don Reisinger

It’s no secret that Apple will be launching the iPhone 5S on Sept. 10. The company has for years been announcing new flagship handsets at these special events, and September 2013 will be no different. Expect a design similar to the iPhone 5, but with more processing power and memory than in the iPhone 5S.

If all of the rumors are to be believed, the iPhone 5C is real product that Apple will also unveil on Sept. 10. The device will reportedly come with the same design as the iPhone 5, but will boast several different colors. The iPhone 5C won’t be as powerful as the iPhone 5S, but it’ll be offered at a cheaper price.

The latest rumors from Aug. 20 suggest that Apple will be launching a gold-colored iPhone at the event. Some reports suggest the handset will have more of a champagne color than the gleam of a bold bar. But if it actually appears, it will be the Apple iPhone that will come in a color other than white or black. More importantly for Apple, gold is considered good luck in China—a key growth market for the iPhone maker.

Apple loves to hold press events where it can gloat about its successes. So, at the Sept. 10 event, expect Apple CEO Tim Cook to come up on stage and immediately show how successful his company has been over the past several months. Spoiler: Apple’s been very, very successful.

Tim Cook as of late has been using his brief time on stage to also discuss how his company’s products are better than those from Google and other Android handset makers. Chances are that Cook will make the same sales pitch this time around in an attempt to get customers away from Samsung smartphones and moving toward the iPhone.

All signs point to Apple launching iOS 7 publicly after it announces the iPhone 5S. So it should be no surprise if at the Sept. 10 event, Apple spends some quality time showing off its latest mobile operating system again. Yes, Apple will rehash many of the same features, but the education will be important for prospective iPhone buyers.

In addition to showing off the old features, expect Apple to announce a few new features for iOS 7. According to several reports, Apple’s new iPhone will feature near-field communication (NFC) technology and other features that would require some additional apps on the software side. Pundits have been vainly predicting the appearance of NFC on iPhones for years. Apple will have a few software surprises up its sleeve on Sept. 10, but whether or not they will actually include NFC is anybody’s guess.

Although Tim Cook will come on stage initially to talk about Apple’s successes, don’t expect him to be standing up there for too long. Cook isn’t like Steve Jobs, who loved to be on stage discussing new features. Instead, Cook likes to leave the details to his executives. That won’t change on Sept. 10.

Apple has stuck to one strategy for years now: It refuses to up the price on its products. That’s why on Sept. 10 Apple will unveil a new iPhone 5S that will come in at the same starting price of $199 along with a mobile carrier service contract. That’s Apple’s way of trying to make customers think they’re getting more value for their dollar. And in some cases, they are.

Although it has done so in the past, don’t expect Apple to leave the stage on Sept. 10 without discussing the iPhone’s availability information. Apple is more than likely going to try to release its handsets next month, which means it’ll have no time to waste on informing customers on when the iPhones will be available.