New iPhone Models Expected to be Launched at Apple’s Special Event

The past year has been tough on Apple’s bottom line and public prestige. Since Steve Jobs’ death the company’s stock price has slumped dramatically, losing $280 billion in value. Fierce competitors like Samsung continue to out-innovate the tech titan and gobble up market share.

Apple has lost their competitive advantage in several key categories. Android’s exponential growth has led to Apple losing ground in device internet usage rates and smartphone market share. Even the iconic iPad has seen sales surpassed by Android tablet devices.

Smartphones running Google’s Android platform recently eclipsed Apple to take an 80% market share of all smartphone sales. The Android platform’s growth rate continues accelerating significantly faster than Apple, making it mathematically impossible to gain market share. The ever loyal iPhone app developer community can’t help but take notice of Apple’s continuous under-performance while Android adoption explodes in the developed and developing world.

The tech giant’s fortunes for the future rely on a strong product showing during tomorrow’s special event. According to Fortune Magazine mobile industry insiders are predicting the following announcements:

• The Phone 5S, a speedier iPhone 5, probably with fingerprint recognition for ID purposes, possibly with near-field communication (NFC) technology for buying stuff in stores.
• The iPhone 5C, a plastic-bodied iPhone that comes in colors and is slower, less powerful, lower-res and less expensive (e.g. $400 plus or minus).
• The release of iOS 7, the first top-to-bottom redesign of the face the iPhone shows the world, complete with new metaphors, new light sources, a Pandora knock-off and a look designed to make Samsung’s smartphones feel old fashioned.
• New programming and new tricks for Apple TV, Steve Jobs’ final “hobby” by which he hoped to someday disrupt the entertainment industry.
• Distribution deals with some of the world’s biggest holdouts, including China Mobile (740 million subscribers) and NTT DoCoMo (60 million).

As an iPhone app developer in New York City, my firm along with the entire mobile industry will be watching and reacting as the event gets underway. The products yet to be launched have the ability to propel the company into a period of hihg growth or continued stagnation. We’ll follow-up with a recap tomorrow.