SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a day of whiplash-inducing reports about Apple's health and future, the most tantalizing tidbit to emerge from the blogosphere was a simple date:
Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013.
That, according to a report in AllThingsD attributed only to "sources," is when Apple will release a new iPhone.
Or perhaps two new iPhones.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment. But many analysts say Apple must offer a cheaper version of its iconic iPhone to stake out a position in the midrange of the smartphone market, as sales of its higher-priced flagship model continue to slow and rivals introduce their own lower-priced gadgets. In the past, Apple has chased that value-seeking consumer by selling its older-model phones for $100 or $200 less than the latest and more expensive model. But speculation has gathered that Apple in September may unveil a new iPhone 5S alongside a lower-cost iPhone.
Regardless of what Apple comes up with, analyst John Jackson of IDC in Boston says, it's got to be a home run.
"Investors, along with the rest of the world, are waiting with increasing impatience, for Apple to wow them once again," he said. "And whether it's in September or not, the next event will arguably be the biggest product launch in Apple's history because it will tell us about the future of the company as a true innovator."
Apple's hammered stock price, he said, is a clear sign that more and more investors are on the fence about Apple and wonder whether it can continue to live up to the legacy left by Steve Jobs of cranking out one mind-blowing product after another. "And whatever it is they introduce," he said, "if there's nothing that looks fundamentally new, the market will be greatly disappointed."
