iOctober 4....are you iReady?

With the iPhone 5 debut only 7 days away, Apple submitted a few clues to the media through a cleverly created collage of icons. The icons used were the ones from the iPhone OS that everyone who has ever looked at n iPhone is familiar with. The first icon was the calendar icon displaying Tuseday: 4 (indicating Tuesday October 4, 2011). The second icon was the clock icon displaying 10:00, followed by the map icon and a pin on the location of the Apple headquarters (where the event is to be held). The final most misunderstood icon was the phone icon with a red number 1 (usually used to indicate the number of missed calls). Then the words: "Let's talk iPhone."Analysts from digital magazines and online sites have been trying to figure out what this last icon is supposed to indicate. The most accepted theory is that although consumers and carriers have been hoping for a low end iPhone: that could be sold to carriers for cheap and inturn be sold to users for lower prices is still just a dream. Many thought that Apple would release a low end iPhone because it would offer affordable, unsubsidized phones that could potentially be use by carriers to penetrate more target markets. Also most analysts anticipate that the focus of the event on Tuesday October 4, 2011 will be focused on the unveiling of the iPhone 5, its projected A5 processor (same as iPad 2), and its new design features as well as iOS 5 and the cloud computing capabilities of iOS 5.  The final element many believe that Apple will stress is the fact that iPhone 5 will be available for AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint in the US and its availability in China. The "iCollage" can be seen below:

The relevancy to the industry in this case shows that with the release of the iPhone 5 only being the singular subsidized model, Apple is missing the opportunity to get into the lower class market share. If they create a low end model, as suggested by many analysts, both carriers and Apple would benefit. As an iPhone user, i frankly do not feel effected by this as I have Verizon and therefore am bound by contract. 

sources:

What to expect Oct 4 -Apple 2.0 CNN Money
Let's talk: 1 new iPhone, not 2? -Apple 2.0 CNN Money