Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com 
 
 Apple Inc. is expected to unveil Tuesday the newest version of a device that has helped bolster the company's fortunes more than any other in recent years: the iPhone. 
 
 General expectations for what has widely and unofficially been dubbed the iPhone 5 are for a slimmer device with a larger touch screen, an improved camera and a relatively speedy chip of the same variety found in the current version of Apple's iPad tablet. There also has been some speculation about possible voice-command capability. 
 
 The price is expected to remain consistent with the $199 to $299 charged for an iPhone 4, ... ||||| Though late-stage rumors seemed to confirm exactly what happened Tuesday, that Apple released a revamped version of its last handset called the iPhone 4S, many expected a totally new version of the phone or, barring that, a second, cheaper version of Apple’s phone. 
 
 Instead, Apple revealed essentially the same phone from its last announcement, with some upgrades. 
 
 Investors in Apple were also disappointed and began selling off stock in the minutes after the iPhone 4S was unveiled. by midafternoon, Apple stock was down more than five percent, to 335.39 at around 3:15 p.m. It had been trading over 400 per share earlier in the week. 
 
 The iPhone 4S has a faster processor, is a “world phone” that runs on both GSM and CDMA networks, and sports a quicker 8 MP camera. Apple also added Sprint to its list of carriers for the phone. 
 
 What’s not clear from the event is whether Apple has fixed the antenna problems that annoyed its iPhone 4 customers when the phone was held a certain way. 
 
 The new iPhone 4S will have the same pricing structure as the iPhone 4, though it adds a 64 GB model for $399. The 16GB phone will cost $199; the 32GB phone will be $299. Pre-orders for the phone will start Friday, and it will be released on Oct. 14. 
 
 The company also announced the official launch of its next-generation operating system, iOS 5. Users got a peek of the system at Apple’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference in June. 
 
 Still, Apple threw in a few more announcements, such as Siri, which acts as a personal assistant that can recognize voice commands. 
 
 The company’s iCloud suite of programs, which will launch along with iOS 5 on Oct. 12 will likely send the average Apple consumer even further into the cloud by providing free (and paid) storage space for photos, movies, music, apps — all hooked into Apple’s massive content and entertainment ecosystem. 
 
 Apple also released updates to two of its iPod lines — the Nano and the Touch — but it wasn’t immediately clear if the company will continue to make the iPod Classic, which did not appear on the event’s slide showing the iPod family. The new iPod Nano will start at $129 for an 8GB model. The iPod Touch also has some upgrades. It will now come in white and start at $199 for 8GB, $299 for 32GB and $399 for 64GB. 
 
 The company built a great deal of momentum going into this event, somehow managing to continually break its own handset sales records while simultaneously driving up hype for its next model. The question now is whether users will be happy enough with the upgraded handset and Apple’s new operating system to keep the company in that enviable position. 
 
 Apple’s new chief executive, Tim Cook, hosted the event, but he passed many of the speaking opportunities on to other top executives, as expected. 
 
 Related stories: 
 
 More technology coverage from The Washington Post 
 
 iOS 5 to go out of beta this week 
 
 Photos: iPhone 4S unveiled 
 
 Apple Siri: 'All-new, voice-control AI stuff' 
 
 Faster Forward: Twitter users give their takes 
 
 User poll: Does it live up to the hype? ||||| Apple is less than 24 hours away from announcing the next iPhone. Unlike previous announcements, this show will be intimate and small, held at Apple’s HQ rather than a large venue like the Moscone Center. Most important, Steve Jobs isn’t headlining the show; although, if rumors are to be believed, he might make a cameo. Apple’s latest commander and chief, Tim Cook, is expected to lead the charge at what will likely amount to one of the biggest Internet traffic days of the year. 
 
 Apple is rather tardy releasing this latest iPhone, missing its traditional summer launch date by a good two months. However, if the rumor mills are to be believed, there, the new iPhone will be very similar to the old iPhone – except where it isn’t. We compiled all of the rumors here along with stating the viability for each. Some are wide-eyed, others are realistic, while some are pure fanboy fantasy. 
 
 Argument 
 
 Numerous leaked SKU line ups with iPhone prototypes that are made of just plastic rather than glass and aluminum found in Brazil. 
 
 Apple would completely disrupt Android and Windows Phone 7 by selling a new iPhone at $100 or less. 
 
 The iPhone 4 still packs enough computing power for most users. 
 
 Objections: 
 
 Unsubstantiated leaks cannot be trusted 
 
 Judgment: The stars just seem aligned for this one. The iPhone 4 is still a hot phone despite being over 15 months old. Apple just needs to repackage the current hardware into a less expensive body to completely demolish the competition. 
 
 Argument: 
 
 Countless thinner cases have leaked over the previous months all purportedly built for the next iPhone. 
 
 Every successive iPhone has been thinner than the previous. 
 
 Apple likes to keep design cues constant between products and so the next iPhone will look similar to the iPad. 
 
 Objection: 
 
 None, it’s a pretty solid claim 
 
 Judgment: Apple has never released a product thicker than the previous model and won’t start with the next iPhone. 
 
 Larger screen 
 
 Argument: 
 
 The iPhone 4’s 3.5-inch screen is tiny compared to recent superphones from Motorola, Samsung, and LG. 
 
 Leaked cases signal that the next iPhone will be physically longer and wider. A larger screen is logical if the size of the iPhone is increasing. 
 
 Our own research has shown that a larger screen is “likely.” 
 
 Objections: 
 
 Larger screen could mess with apps designed for the smaller screen 
 
 Judgment: Apple cannot ignore the current popular trend of larger screen sizes. As long as the phone is thinner, a larger screen will not make the phone feel any bigger. 
 
 Argument: 
 
 Apple has always pushed the limit with its LCD implementation. 
 
 Edge-to-edge glass would give Apple something to tout over just using a larger screen. 
 
 Objections: 
 
 Likely higher manufacturing cost, which would cut into the profit margin 
 
 Could lead to more broken screens 
 
 Judgment: Not likely just yet. Apple pushes the limit but only as far as its financially viable. 
 
 NFC is the next big thing and already a feature on leading Android handsets 
 
 An NFC-equipped iPhone would further the advancement of mobile payments 
 
 Objection: 
 
 Current NFC radios are separate microchips and not integrated into a unified communication chip, which requires PCB real estate and extra battery power 
 
 Apple could be waiting until the payment companies make a lucrative offer to them 
 
 Judgment: Apple tends to incorporate non-proprietary tech only after its viability is proven. So that’s a “No.” 
 
 Argument: 
 
 Apple tends to include a faster CPU with each iPhone release 
 
 iOS 5 will likely benefit from a faster, dual-core CPU 
 
 Objection: 
 
 More powerful CPUs tend to decrease battery life 
 
 Judgment: It’s very likely the next major iPhone will have the A5 CPU. However, Apple might stick with the A4 for a mid-model refresh like the rumored iPhone 4S 
 
 Argument: 
 
 Leaked cases and bezels show an elongated opening/button 
 
 Touch-sensitive bezels allows for new controls, multitouch gestures 
 
 Objections: 
 
 Completely changes Apple’s “Keep It Simple, Stupid” design 
 
 Could break current apps 
 
 Judgment: Don’t start designing your next Kickstarter iPhone case project around this rumor. Apple will likely stick with its traditional home button. 
 
 Argument: 
 
 MP count has increased with every new iPhone release 
 
 An 8MP photo previously appeared with iPhone 5 metadata 
 
 Megapixel counts are unfortunately a comparison point between different phones 
 
 Objections: 
 
 Higher megapixel counts does not necessarily improve picture quality. Apple knows this. Hopefully. 
 
 Judgment: Camera sensors are constantly shrinking in size while increasing in MP count. Expect a higher count sensor but not necessarily an 8MP version. 
 
 Argument: 
 
 The next iPhone will use Qualcomm Gobi Baseband and run on both GSM and CDMA networks 
 
 Dual-mode phones have shown up in developer’s usage stats 
 
 Would allow Apple to makes/sell just one version, decreasing manufacturing costs 
 
 Allow Apple to sell a completely unlocked iPhone. Buy one from the Apple Store and activate it however you want 
 
 Carrier independence is a huge selling point 
 
 Objection: 
 
 Dual-mode mobile radios are still very rare 
 
 R&D cost could make it financially unfeasible 
 
 Judgment: It’s hard to say. The upsides are huge for both Apple and consumers, but dual-mode radios are not widely used. Apple tends to use highly-available and therefore, high margin components. 
 
 The next iPhone will have powerful voice controls built by Siri called Assistant, which Apple bought last year for $200m 
 
 The voice controls would outclass Android’s with more natural navigation paths 
 
 These function would need beefy hardware like the rumored A5 CPU, which creates an up-sell point for iPhone 4 owners 
 
 Objections 
 
 None, really. Seems like a logical step for iOS. 
 
 Judgment: It’s hard to predict future iOS features, but more beefy voice controls are probably on the road map. ||||| Let me start off by saying this: Your phone is not suddenly going to gain sentience and become Skynet. However, your phone is about to become a whole lot smarter, thanks to Apple and its new artificial intelligence Assistant. 
 
 The hype surrounding Tuesday's Apple iPhone event is at an all-time high. But most of the hype is focused on the hardware that Apple will announce. What will the iPhone 5 look like? Will there be an iPhone 4S? Will it have 4G capabilities or a bigger screen? 
 
 The real star of Tuesday's show will not be the hardware, though. This event will focus on software, specifically one piece of software that Apple: the iPhone Assistant. 
 
 Assistant is the successor to Siri, the iPhone app that helped users with their daily tasks with natural language voice commands. Ask Siri to find a restaurant for you, and it could not only complete your requests, but it could also help you book a reservation. It could grab movie ratings, find you a taxi, perform Google searches and much more. Most of all, it learned from your actions and refined its recommendations accordingly. 
 
 The technology that powered Siri was born from SRI's CALO project, the largest artificial intelligence project in U.S. history. It's complex technology that linked machine learning to natural language. In other words, it's technology that made artificial intelligence accessible and useful to the regular person. 
 
 Two months after its launch, Apple acquired Siri for more than $200 million. 
 
 What Assistant Will Do 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 On Tuesday, Siri will be reborn as Assistant. And while we have not had a chance to play with Assistant ourselves, we've heard amazing things from the people who have used it. 
 
 Say you're in a new city and you're really craving Chinese. In the past, you might have pulled up the Yelp app, performed a search on Yelp and combed through results. With Assistant, you can say to your iPhone, "Please find me a Chinese restaurant within a mile of my location." 
 
 Instead of searching for the taxi company's number, Assistant will find it for you. Instead of searching through your apps, Assistant will open up your app and tell the app what you want it to do (we eventually expect APIs that will allow users to directly access their apps via Assistant). 
 
 And yes, Assistant will be able to transcribe your texts and perform web searches, much like Google's Android OS. Assistant will utilize Nuance's advance voice-recognition technology to accomplish these tasks. 
 
 The key though is that Assistant will learn. It will figure out what results you don't like, what restaurants you frequent, and what people you want to talk to the most. It will adapt to your needs and become more than just a module for voice commands. 
 
 What Artificial Intelligence Does to the iPhone 
 
 In a great interview on Monday, Siri co-founder Norman Winarsky wasn't shy to share his thoughts on how Assistant will not only change personal computing but the entire world. 
 
 "Make no mistake: Apple’s ‘mainstreaming’ Artificial Intelligence in the form of a Virtual Personal Assistant is a groundbreaking event," Winarsky told 9to5mac. "I’d go so far as to say it is a world-changing event." 
 
 But why is Assistant a "world-changing" event? Winarsky explains further: 
 
 "This is real AI with real market use. If the rumors are true, Apple will enable millions upon millions of people to interact with machines with natural language," he said. "The PAL (personal assistant software) will get things done, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. We’re talking another technology revolution. A new computing paradigm shift." 
 
 Apple plans to change the very way we interact with our phones yet again. Apple already sparked one revolution with touchscreens and another with the App Store. After Tuesday though, it will have introduced a whole new method of interacting with computers: through an artificial intelligence. That is something that will change our fundamental relationship with the devices that sit on our desks and travel with us in our pockets. 
 
 Starting Tuesday, we'll be talking about a new computing revolution. 
 
 Lead image courtesy of DreamWorks 
 
 What Apple's iPhone 5 May Look Like ||||| 1 of 23. Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks in front of an image of an iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California October 4, 2011. 
 
 CUPERTINO, California (Reuters) - Apple Inc's newest iPhone left Wall Street and fans wishing for more than a souped-up version of last year's device, igniting a rare storm of criticism and disappointment on the Internet. 
 
 Newly minted CEO Tim Cook ably helmed his first major product launch without former boss Steve Jobs, but failed to ignite the sort of excitement and buzz that the charismatic Apple co-founder once did. 
 
 Expectations were high at this critical juncture, when Android phones by Samsung Electronics and other rivals are closing in on Apple's lead and the important holiday shopping season gets started. 
 
 Investors and fans, looking to be blown away by some amazing surprise, sent the shares down as much as 5 percent before they recovered with the market to close down 0.6 percent. 
 
 Cook, who took over from Jobs in August, and his executive team showed off a device that comes with voice recognition and a better camera, but looks identical to the last phone and does little to lift the bar for smartphones. 
 
 While the gadget wasn't as tricked out as some had hoped, analysts liked its voice-enabling technology that helps users vocalize everything from stock price searches to sending messages -- more easily than on Android phones or Research in Motion Blackberries. 
 
 "It's been 16 months and all you've got is an A5 processor in the existing iPhone 4," said BGC Partners' analyst Colin Gillis. "It's a mild disappointment, but they're still going to be selling millions of units." 
 
 Some shareholders and analysts hoped for a cameo appearance by Jobs, now chairman. The pancreatic cancer survivor, who took his third medical leave in August, did not appear. 
 
 In some ways, Apple may have been a victim of its past success. Its launches are some of the hottest events on the tech calendar. Tuesday's "Let's talk iPhone" show marked Cook's unofficial debut since taking over from Jobs in August. 
 
 Analysts say it is more crucial than ever to sustain the popularity of its aging iPhone 4. Apple sold more than 20 million units in the third quarter ended June 25. 
 
 "It's kind of funny -- if they have gone and called it the 5, the stock would have been fine, but they're calling it the 4S, which is a disappointment to some," said WP Stewart portfolio manager Michael Walker. 
 
 The iPhone, which accounts for more than 40 percent of Apple's sales, has been a success since it came out in 2007, making Apple into one of the world's leading consumer electronics companies. 
 
 INTENSIFYING COMPETITION 
 
 On a brighter note, the company would seem to be making inroads into potentially pivotal new markets. 
 
 It said more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies are testing or using its iPhones and iPads, expanding its presence in a corporate market dominated by RIM. RIM shares trading on the Nasdaq stock market slid nearly 3 percent before ending 2.4 percent higher. Google shares finished 1.3 percent up. 
 
 The two-generation-old iPhone 3GS will be offered free, as long as users sign a contract. Analysts said that would help to expand its market in lower-end Asian and developing markets. 
 
 "Apple is hitting Nokia when it's vulnerable. How many billions of people in emerging markets would love to have an iPhone? These are a growing demographic," said YCMNet Advisors CEO Michael Yoshikami. 
 
 Tuesday's iPhone event took place at Apple Central -- the same venue where the iPod first was introduced years ago -- versus the larger, splashier venues of more recent choice such as downtown San Francisco's Moscone center. 
 
 Heading in to the event, many on Wall Street had questioned Cook's ability lead the company as Jobs did. In terms of stage presence, Jobs was a tough act to follow, but analysts say Cook acquitted himself well. 
 
 Twitter users were not impressed with the phone, though. 
 
 "Please note I will be selling some 'S' stickers for $0.99 so iPhone 4 owners have a cheaper upgrade option," wrote HAL9000 on Twitter. 
 
 Tomlinsonr tweeted, "I'll have a double helping of 'meh' with a side of 'whatever'." 
 
 The latest version of the iPhone comes as the economy slows and competition intensifies. People activate more than 550,000 Android-based devices -- including tablets -- each day. 
 
 Nielsen data shows the iPhone was No. 2 in the United States with a 28 percent market share, with Android at 43 percent. 
 
 Globally, iPhone shipments rose 9.1 percent in the second quarter while Nokia's plummeted more than 30 percent, handing the top spot to Apple with a market share of 18.4 percent, according to IHS iSuppli. Samsung, whose shipments grew faster, is coming on strong with a market share of 17.8 percent. 
 
 Despite disappointment online, analysts said the phone is superior to many rival offerings. 
 
 "Voice recognition has been on Google and Blackberry devices for years, but Apple will make it much more usable," said Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Noel Randewich, Alistair Barr and Sarah McBride in San Francisco, and Sinead Carew and Liana B. Baker in New York. Writing by Edwin Chan. Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Robert MacMillan)
– It's a big day in the tech world as we await the 1pm EDT iPhone announcement from Apple HQ. What do we think we know? It will be faster, slimmer, and have a larger screen: Pretty much everyone agrees on these points. It will run on both GSM and CDMA networks: The Washington Post says this is almost certain. It will have beefier voice navigation: Again, most sources agree on this point. Mashable goes further and explains the feature, called Assistant, artificial intelligence software that can help you find a restaurant, search on Google, call a taxi, and more—all while learning from your actions. It will include Apple's new operating system: iOS 5 and iCloud will offer both free and paid storage in the cloud for photos, movies, music, and apps, the Post notes. Reuters adds that the new iPhone is expected to be loaded with the updated software. It will be cheaper: Reuters notes that some expect a cheaper model that would appeal to the Asian market, in order to boost Apple's growth there, but the Wall Street Journal reports that the price is expected to remain around $199 to $299. TechCrunch, however, believes we will definitely see a cheaper phone—perhaps even less than $100. It will mark Tim Cook's debut: Cook, the new CEO, will have his first chance to prove himself as the main speaker today. Still unknown is whether Steve Jobs will make an appearance. Other questions that remain: Will Apple announce two phones (say, an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S) or just one? What about a partnership with Facebook? Any news about the iPod? Will the new iPhone run on 4G networks? The juiciest rumor: Boy Genius Report, citing an "incredibly solid" industry contact, says that Sprint, yes, Sprint, will get the iPhone 5 exclusive, while AT&T and Verizon will get the iPhone 4S. Click here for a breakdown of what that would mean.