[h=3]A Wall Street Journal Roundup[/h]In addition to announcing its latest iPhone, Apple Inc. may introduce a new version of its iTunes, iPod Nano and iPod Touch at an event in San Francisco Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
Anticipation has been high for its next-generation iPhone, which has long held as top-selling smartphone in the U.S.
The new model is expected to work with fourth-generation, or 4G, cellular networks. That capability is something Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S III and many other iPhone rivals already have.
But speculation about whether the iPhone—introduced in 2007—can measure up to new devices is brewing.
[h=3]Streaming Updates[/h]
Follow developments leading up to and through Apple's Sept. 12 iPhone announcement. Plus, visit the Gadget Wars stream for the latest on the cutthroat action between Apple, Amazon, Google, Nokia and others.
The next iPhone, which has been referred to internally by the code name N41, has been in the works for more than a year, a person familiar with the matter said. Apple is expected to tweak the smartphone's shape with a slightly larger screen and a different shell, and it will work with wireless carriers' fastest LTE networks and run new mobile software. That software, iOS 6, includes improvements to voice-activated assistant Siri, a new digital-coupon-and-passes service called Passbook, and new call-blocking features, among several others.
Consumers have been holding out for the new device, so much so that Apple's last quarterly results disappointed investors. Some economists are predicting sales could even bump up the U.S. economy. But whether Apple will satisfy expectations is hard to tell as are the consequences if it doesn't.
Anticipation has been high for its next-generation iPhone, which has long held as top-selling smartphone in the U.S.
The new model is expected to work with fourth-generation, or 4G, cellular networks. That capability is something Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S III and many other iPhone rivals already have.
But speculation about whether the iPhone—introduced in 2007—can measure up to new devices is brewing.
[h=3]Streaming Updates[/h]
Follow developments leading up to and through Apple's Sept. 12 iPhone announcement. Plus, visit the Gadget Wars stream for the latest on the cutthroat action between Apple, Amazon, Google, Nokia and others.
The next iPhone, which has been referred to internally by the code name N41, has been in the works for more than a year, a person familiar with the matter said. Apple is expected to tweak the smartphone's shape with a slightly larger screen and a different shell, and it will work with wireless carriers' fastest LTE networks and run new mobile software. That software, iOS 6, includes improvements to voice-activated assistant Siri, a new digital-coupon-and-passes service called Passbook, and new call-blocking features, among several others.
Consumers have been holding out for the new device, so much so that Apple's last quarterly results disappointed investors. Some economists are predicting sales could even bump up the U.S. economy. But whether Apple will satisfy expectations is hard to tell as are the consequences if it doesn't.