Social Saturday: What I expect from the Tuesday event

Facebook user Gabriel F (and many others) asks: “What are you expecting to see on Tuesday?”

With the October 4 iPhone event just around the corner, it’s not entirely surprising that virtually every question this week is focused on the iPhone 5 (or 4S). As such, I figured it was only appropriate to go over what I think Apple will unveil on Tuesday.

iPhone 5: First and foremost, I believe we will finally get a glimpse at the iPhone 5. I can’t say what the device will look like exactly, though I’d wager it’ll be pretty close to the most recent round of mock-ups we’ve been seeing (thinner, aluminum back, shorter but wider body, elongated touch-sensetive home button, larger screen). As far as features go, I’m sure we’ll see the standard upgraded camera (8 megapixel), A5 processor, and everything that goes a long with iOS 5. There is also a good possibility of a new “one more thing” feature, but I really don’t know enough to comment on that. As far as multiple devices go, I’m not expecting an iPhone 4S. I think the 5 will be the only new device, and the 4 will drop down to the introductory price. 

iOS 5: We all know what iOS 5 stands to offer. We’ll definitely see another quick demo of the software to maximize hype. As far as a release date goes, I think it’ll go live the day the iPhone 5 goes on sale (probably around October 14). For a while I thought it would be available the day of the event. However, seeing as it’s only days away and there’s still no Gold Master, I think it’s more likely that the GM will be released to developers on the 4th with the final version going live shortly thereafter.

iCloud: Similar to iOS 5, I think we’ll be treated to a refresher course to get us reacquainted with some of iCloud’s best features, and the service will go live when iOS 5 does.

iPods: The September event has historically been devoted to the introduction of the new round of iPods, so I’d be surprised if they didn’t make an appearance. The current round of rumors says the iPod touch won’t see much (or any) change besides the introduction of a white model. As far as the rest of the iPod line goes, your guess is as good as mine, though there’s a chance Apple might take this opportunity to announce the death of the iPod Classic and the iPod Shuffle. *tear*

Everything else: And that’s really all the major stuff I’m predicting. Of course, we’ll get the usual statistics/bragging session where various presenters spout numbers at us to convey how well Apple products have been selling and how many records they’ve broken. I don’t think Steve Jobs will be there. This is Tim Cook’s first major event as CEO, so it’s important to establish his authority – he’ll be leading the show. There may also be a presentation or two by app developers like Facebook, but that’s iffy.

What do you guys think? Am I pretty close to the mark, or way off? What are you most looking forward to from this event? Let me know in the comments below or send me a tweet!