Apple rumor roundup: iPhone 5C, gold iPhone, Apple TV and China

We’re less than 24 hours away from Apple’s “special event” Tuesday at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. It’s slated to be a smaller event than usual, but with a twist: There’s another media event scheduled for Beijing just nine hours later.

Here’s a rundown on the latest rumors:

Full Coverage: Apple iPhone event

Gold iPhone: It may sound trivial, but gold, or “champagne” as some have called it, is one of the most popular after-market colors for iPhone cases. If Apple does introduce a gold iPhone, it will be only the third official color for the main iPhone, joining the classic black and white.

iPhone 5C: This is the so-called cheap or lower-cost phone that is aimed at new smartphone buyers and emerging markets. Rather than a metal case, it’s expected to be plastic and come in an array of colors. The critical point: How much will it cost?

iPhone 5S: This is the new high-end smartphone. The rumors don’t point to too many thrilling, breakthrough type features. Possibly a fingerprint scanner for security, a faster processor. It’s the off-year refresh, after all. It’s the iPhone 6 next year that ought be the real revelation.

China Mobile: There have been a number of reports that the company will announce a deal with China Mobile that will allow the carrier to sell the iPhone to its 700 million subscribers. Such a deal might well trump anything else Apple has to say Tuesday.

Bye-bye, iPhone 5: With the new iPhone 5C and 5S, Apple is expected to stop selling the iPhone 5, which was released last year. That would be the shortest life span of any iPhone yet. And it will also likely kill off the iPhone 4, which has remained surprisingly popular as a free option offered by carriers in the U.S.

Apple Wallet: There’s some talk that Apple has a new mobile payment service up its sleeve. This feels like a bit of a long shot.

Apple TV: Rumors flared up again that Apple would announce something related to Apple TV when a tech blog reported on import documents that seemed to indicate such a device. It’s tantalizing, as Apple has been increasing the amount of content available on its current $99 Apple TV set-top box. And it’s been more than a year since the device was updated. But for the moment, this seems to be Tuesday’s least likely to be announcement.

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