Cast Your Bets: Bookies Predict the Chances of What Apple Will Announce

We spoke to analysts and bookies to get the odds of numerous product announcement possibilities from Apple's coming event.
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Apple is hosting an event tomorrow that "should brighten everyone's day," at least according to Cupertino. It's a classic cryptic message from the company. But lucky for us, there are plenty of predictions -- good and bad -- to consider.

We took a look at all the major rumors and reports, then got bookies from Ladbrokes, a UK-based gaming company that has previously allowed people to bet on tech companies, to provide the betting odds* on all the major product announcements from Apple's coming event.

iPhone 5S
For the last two years, Apple has held a fall event to introduce a new iPhone. Surprise! It's almost fall again. "We expect it to be an iPhone and iOS dominated event," Chris Jones from Canalys said. The company is due to release a new phone and it will presumably be called the iPhone 5S.
Odds: 1 to 4

iPhone 5C
The introduction of colorful, cheaper iPhones -- probably called the iPhone 5C -- is very likely. An overwhelming number of leaks and rumors dating months back have pointed to the release of bright iPhones in shades other than the standard black and white. The phones are said to have polycarbonate backs rather than the brushed aluminum of the iPhone 5, which may allow Apple to knock down the price a bit.
Odds: 4 to 6

iPhone 5S Has a Fingerprint Sensor
Apple bought fingerprint sensor developer AuthenTec in the summer of 2012. Ever since, reports have suggested that the company's next iPhone will feature biometric authentication in one form or another. A host of recent patents filed by the company, as well as alleged photos of the 5S box that show a strange silver ring around the home button, seem to back up this expectation too. The idea would be that instead of relying on a password, your phone would be able to recognize you and only you. WIRED's Gadget Lab is pretty evenly split on whether this will happen at the event.
Odds: 4 to 6

iOS 7 Official Release
Apple has already announced iOS 7. We just haven't heard of a specific release date beyond "this fall." Considering this will be an iOS-centric event, it's reasonable to assume iOS 7 will get an official release date. One caveat: Jones says that the Tuesday announcement could pertain only to the iPhone and iPod lineup. He says "iOS 7 for iPad is not ready yet."
Odds: Ladbrokes could not provide

Gold iPhone
The gold iPhone 5S is coming. Reports from iMore, 9to5Mac, AllThingsD and more are certain of it. The phone will supposedly be a classy champagne gold, rather than the garish yellow of a gold brick. The question is whether you'll see it on Tuesday, alongside the other shiny colors of the rainbow.
Odds: 6 to 1

iPhone 5S With NFC
The brushed aluminum iPhone just couldn't have built-in NFC, according to a NYTimes story. The metal back blocks radio waves. But now that Apple could be introducing plastic-backed phone, it could very well support NFC -- a feature that has become standard in Android and Windows Phone handsets.
Odds: 20 to 1

iPod Touch Refresh
It's not the most interesting product announcement, but we could see a sixth-generation iPod touch with a minor refresh. Last year the device got a major screen and camera boost, plus the latest A5 chipset. This year, the device could get some similar or smaller upgrades.
Odds: 1 to 1

Death of the iPod Classic
Apple still sells the longstanding storage-centric iPod Classic star of the iPod lineup. But as people move more toward streaming music and the cloud, the iPod Classic is now a marginalized product. Apple could potentially announce its end tomorrow.
Odds: 5 to 1

iPad Mini With Retina Display
Arguably one of the most requested product upgrades, the iPad Mini with Retina Display could come down Apple's pipeline soon. But it probably won't come on Tuesday, according to Jones. "iPad launches will be later this year," he said. Then again, Cupertino always has some surprises ready.
Odds: 6 to 4

iWatch
Smart watches seem to be all the rage lately. There's Pebble, Samsung's Galaxy Gear, Sony's SmartWatch, and more. Our own Christina Bonnington has already made it clear that Apple should (and maybe will) make its own smartwatch. The question is when. Don't get your hopes up for tomorrow. "We don't expect a watch this year," Jones said.
Odds: 10 to 1

An Actual Apple TV
Here's what we know: Apple is very interested in making your TV better. "When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years," CEO Tim Cook said in 2012. "It's an area of intense interest. I can't say more than that." Many rumors pointed to a 2013 release, however, it's very unlikely that Apple would toss in a major announcement like this with its iPhone release. A refresh of the Apple TV's software is much more likely.
Odds: 5 to 4

*All odds are fractional. For example, a 20-percent chance likelihood would appear as 4/1, or 4 to 1 odds. It is basically saying that if you bet on it, for every one time you win, you will likely lose four times. But the rewards are also greater. If you win, for every $1 you bet you will get paid out $4, plus the $1 you initially put down. On the contrary, 1 to 4 odds mean that for every four times you win, you will only lose once. It also means your rewards are much smaller. If you win, for every $4 you bet you only earn $1, plus get back the $4 you bet.