Apple will apparently call its new smartphone the"iPhone 5,"validating pundits'expectations,according to the company's website.
A search on apple.com using the string"iPhone-5"revealed several documents that named the new handset.One of the documents appeared to be a press release that Apple will issue later today.
"iPhone 5"has been the label most had assigned to this year's model.The naming prediction had been a repeat of 2011,when analysts,customers and bloggers eagerly awaited a new model.After its October 2011 introduction,some knocked Apple for using"iPhone 4S"instead as they vented their disappointment that it was not a more substantial upgrade from the previous year's iPhone 4.
Wall Street is expecting great things from the iPhone 5,with pre-sales estimates for the first three days--likely to begin Friday--as high as 6 million units,or 50%more than the iPhone 4S'opening weekend.
In a note to clients today,Brian Marshall of the ISI Group pegged fourth-quarter sales of all iPhones at 41 million,of which approximately 85%,or nearly 35 million,will be the iPhone 5.
If Marshall's projection is on target,the 41 million iPhones would represent an 11%gain over the same period in 2011,when Apple sold a record 37 million.
Apple will host an event in San Francisco today starting at 1 p.m Eastern to unveil the new smartphone.
A search of apple.com reveals the name'iPhone 5'in a company news release that will likely go live later today.
