Editor's note: This is part of "Our Mobile Society," CNN's weeklong
series examining how cell phones and other electronic devices have
revolutionized the ways we work, play and communicate. (CNN) -- It's
the worst-kept secret since Adam Lambert's sexuality : Apple is
expected to unveil a new iPhone on Tuesday. There are a bunch of
reasons you already knew this. For one, every
tech journalist on earth has been writing about the new-now-next-
generation iPhone since the company's last "Jesus phone" -- the
iPhone 4 -- graced us with its presence in June 2010. You've seen the
gossip here, and on countless Apple-focused blogs with apt and
obvious names like MacRumors and TheAppleBlog. The rumor mill, you'll
likely recall, revved to full throttle in early
September when CNET reported that an Apple employee lost a prototype
of the next iPhone -- likely called the iPhone 5 -- in a Mexican
restaurant and bar in San Francisco. To cap it all off, Apple sent out
an e-mail on September 27 teasing
reporters with phone-related pictures and this not-so-cryptic tagline:
"Let's talk iPhone." So, yeah, we pretty much know what's coming. And
at the same time, we don't. The tech specs of the new
phone are still hotly debated, as reporters scour Apple
patents, SKU codes and, of course, Bay Area bars for any
remaining iPhone-rumor morsels sure to grab the public's
attention. All will become clear at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday when Apple hosts its
iPhone "launch" event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. But
for those of you who are drooling for the details, here's the wisdom
du jour from the People of the Internet: -- The phone will be called
the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S. Or both (see
below). -- It likely will cost $200 with a 2-year wireless service contract from
AT&T or Verizon. -- The iPhone may come to Sprint, too. The Wall
Street Journal was reporting Monday that Sprint Nextel has entered
into an eye-opening agreement with Apple to buy more than $20 billion
worth of iPhones
over the next four years. (But the phone won't be coming yet to T-
Mobile, as Mark Milian reports). -- It will be "skinnier, shorter and
wider" than before, according to Gizmodo, which is basing these
assumptions on supposed leaked cases for the phone and on "informed
renderings." -- PC World (irony noted) expects the iPad's faster
processor to squeeze its way into the iPhone. -- The phone will have a
"teardrop" back, meaning it's fatter at the
top than the bottom, according to the blog This is My Next . The
iPhone 4 is flat on both sides. -- It may have a "world mode," meaning
it could transition onto other cell networks easily. -- It will have
an upgraded, 8-megapixel rear camera. -- It may employ new
voice-recognition features, says Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
His evidence? That e-mail Apple sent to journalists: "Let's talk
iPhone." Voice-recognition. Get it? -- It's possible Apple will unveil
not one -- but TWO iPhones. -- If so, the second likely will be
cheaper and will have less storage
capacity. Some bloggers have taken to calling it the iCloud Phone,
because it could tie in with Apple's new cloud-computing services.
(Side note: Al Gore, an Apple board member, gave some credence to
the second-iPhoners when he mentioned "the new iPhones coming out next
month" during a speech in South Africa). -- Based on Apple's past
iPhone release patterns, the phone (or
phones) will likely go on sale later this month (most bloggers predict
mid-October). Of course, as is the case with any Apple product,
die-hard fans will buy whatever the new thing is -- no matter what it
is exactly, and no
matter how much it costs. The other mysteries surrounding the Tuesday
event are all about
Apple's leadership. This is the first product announcement for Apple
-- the world's most
valuable company -- under the direction of its new CEO, Tim Cook.
There's speculation about whether Cook, who is reported to be a
private person, will take center stage at the event or yield the
spotlight to his deputies. And there are rumors that Apple co-founder
Steve Jobs, who handed
over the company to Cook in August following a medical leave of
absence, will make an appearance at the event. It seems likely that
Cook will run the show, and BusinessInsider and plenty of others
expect as much. It wouldn't be the first time Cook
helped with an Apple presentation -- he appeared onstage in January
when the company unveiled an iPhone on Verizon's network -- but it
would be his first time as headliner. But, like the rest of you, we'll
just have to hang on until Tuesday --
when all these rumors get zapped with a dose of reality.