Eyes on Apple for iPhone5 debut

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Eyes on Apple for iPhone5 debut

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The stage is set for Apple to unveil a new-generation iPhone5 on Wednesday (today).

12 September,2012 07:35 am

The star of the Apple event in the Yerba Buena Theater in San Francisco is expected to be an iPhone 5 with a big, beautiful touchscreen, connectivity to blazingly fast telecom networks, and improved battery life.Apple has been tight-lipped about what is in store at its media event, but hinted at a keenly anticipated new iPhone model in invitations that bore the cryptic message Its almost here.Leaks and rumors portray the new iPhone as having a larger touchscreen than its predecessor and say that it will be available by the end of the month.This is going to be the biggest consumer phone launch ever -- they are going to sell millions and millions of units no matter what they bring out, Gartner Research analyst Van Baker told AFP on Tuesday.Analysts are convinced that many people have put off purchases to wait for Apples latest product.Canaccord Genuity brokerage told investors to expect record iPhone sales after a new model launches, and the Piper Jaffray investment firm predicted that as many as 10 million could be bought during the week after the launch.Pent-up demand for the iPhone 5 is such that Apple will sell every one they can make in the coming weeks, said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.Smartphones powered by Googles Android software continued to dominate with 52.2 percent of the US market in the past months, but Apples iOS was the second most popular smartphone platform with 33.4 percent, comScore reported.Samsung mobile phones remained the most popular in the United States with 25.6 percent of the market, but third-place Apple gained ground to claim 16.3 percent as of the end of July, according to comScore.Baker saw Samsungs Galaxy S3 as perhaps the only smartphone on the market that might pose a challenge to a new iPhone.Among other new entrants are the latest from Googles Motorola Mobility and Nokia, which joined with Microsoft to introduce a Windows-powered smartphone.Lets face it, the Nokia and Motorola announcements didnt exactly set the world on fire, Baker said.While slick new smartphones set gadget-lovers pulses pounding, competition is increasingly about winning devotion to ecosystems of nifty applications and entertainment content, according to Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin.