After the announcements for the Apple event next week have been sent out, I am now convinced that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 5. There are two reasons for it:
- The invitation has a shadow with a 5
- Apple will likely want to continue to sell this model after its successor has been introduced, and it is never a good move to sell old stuff with a name that evokes dated, like iPhone model late 2012 would in 2014
The rumors of dropping the number came from the new iPad, but the situation there is different. If we assume that an iPad mini is coming, it will take over the budget role in the lineup. And with its introduction, the iPad 2 will no longer have a role, and will be discontinued to simplify the line up.
Apple almost never does price competition with older models. It makes the positioning more difficult than needed, and the iPhone is the exception because there not enough room to meaningfully differentiate the screen size of the phone without severely limiting its usefulness.