Would An iPhone 4S Be Such A Disappointment?

Apple will unveil a new iPhone on Tuesday; that much is a certainty. What remains unclear, even at this late stage, is whether Tim Cook will announce an iPhone 5, an iPhone 4S — or both.

We believe the new iPhone will contain the super-fast Apple A5 chip, 1 GB of RAM, an advanced voice recognition layer called Assistant, and a powerful 8 MP camera with a revamped Camera application. One of our sources says the new app will even include photo filters, a la Instagram, but we haven't been able to confirm.

There are three major questions that nobody outside Apple seems to know the answer to:

- Will the new iPhone have a larger screen?

- Will the new iPhone have a different hardware design?

- Will Apple launch one phone, or will it launch two?

If Apple only launches one phone, then the question hinges on whether Apple has redesigned the hardware. If the casing is new, expect Apple to call it the iPhone 5. But if Apple sticks with the iPhone 4's rectangular design, then it's likely the company will market the device as the iPhone 4S, just as it did with the iPhone 3GS.

There are a lot of differences between the iPhone 3GS launch and Tuesday's iPhone launch, of course. The biggest is that it's been 16 months since the last iPhone event, and that has ramped up the expectations to an all-time high. This will also be Tim Cook's first event as Apple CEO, and his performance will be closely watched. Meanwhile, Android has become a much stronger mobile platform than it was two years ago.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 5 Wish List Starts With 4G and Bigger Screen

There will be disappointment if Apple doesn't reveal an iPhone 5. The speculation has convinced millions of Apple enthusiasts that Apple won't launch anything less. Would that impact sales?

The iPhone 3GS was a smash hit, destroying sales estimates until the iPhone 4 became the best-selling phone in the U.S. The 3GS is still the second most popular phone in the country. That doesn't necessarily mean an iPhone 4S could pull a repeat performance. But if anybody can make it work, it's Apple.

Apple's track record with the iPhone is spectacular, and we doubt an iPhone 4S would throw the company off track. Newer models always beat their predecessors in sales, thanks to a combination of design, software and marketing. And if the iPhone does come to Sprint, as we expect, it will be on all three major carriers.

An iPhone 4S might disappoint Apple fans for a short while — but they will stand in line for weeks in front of the Apple store, as they invariably do. Apple will continue to sell iPhones like hotcakes, regardless of the name its carries.

Bonus: What the New iPhone May Look Like