Apple is going all out for next week's big announcement as the online buzz around exactly what innovative products it will bring to the market heats up, with talk of built-in credit card facilities, bigger screens, and even a smartwatch.
Swift Consulting CEO Liron Segev - author of TheTechieGuy.com blog - notes Apple must get its game on at this year's event because there has been very little obvious differences between the last three iterations of its handsets.
Although the devices are still popular, Segev notes there is no longer the same amount of hype that used to characterise Apple launches, such as people sleeping in queues to get their hands on the new gadgets.
Slowing down
In the middle of last month, the IDC noted iOS's market share dropped to 11.7%, from 13% in 2013. Apple's "iOS operating system may have reached its lowest quarterly volume for the year, if history is any indication," the research company says.
The IDC notes, for the past two years, third quarter volumes received a boost from shipments of new Apple devices towards the end of the quarter, resulting in slightly higher volumes compared to the second quarter. "Whether this happens again this year remains to be seen, especially with the anticipated arrival of large-screen iPhones."
Segev says next week's announcement could be a turning point for Apple as a comeback kid, but the news must wow both diehard fans and potential new customers. "They've got to klap this one out of the park."
Currently, Samsung - the market share leader with almost a third of the smartphone market - is top of mind, says Segev. However, if Apple launches a device with a mobile payment solution, this would be a "deal breaker" that would keep people in its ecosystem, he adds.
Rumour mill
News portal Re/code yesterday broke the news that Apple has reached an agreement with American Express to develop a new iPhone payments system. Citing sources, the site said the new payment plan would be announced on 9 September, and follows a similar deal inked with Visa that will allow iPhone 6 owners use the handset instead of credit cards.
UK-based Techradar.com says consumers can expect a "major revision of the iPhone including the entire design". The tech site says it is likely the phone will be released - alongside new Apple tablets - from around $650 (about R7 000). However, there has also been news that production issues could delay the launch.
Apple also has other device makers in a spin after Re/code revealed the company's plans for an iWatch, which Business Insider says prompted Samsung and LG to quickly issue statements about their own offerings.
Other hype around the new iPhone - said to be released a day ahead of the more feature-full iOS 8 - includes 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, significantly bigger than the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5S and 5C, in a move Reuters notes is partially driven by rival Samsung's success in this area. Russian iPhone vendor Feld & Volk has also indicated the design will have a tapered bezel around the device, as well as larger volume buttons in place of the current silencing lever.
Segev notes the rumour mill is fuelled by Apple leaking information in a bid to ensure the eyes of the world are on its launch. He says it seems the device maker has listened to users and reverted with innovation and functionality.
Reuters notes Apple, which defined the smartphone industry, has not introduced a new product since the iPad in 2010. However, CEO Tim Cook has promised new product categories for 2014, while software chief Eddy Cue has called Apple's product pipeline the best he has seen in decades.
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