Apple will unveil its new iPhone 5 next Wednesday

Apple sent out some invitations to a September 12 press event, where the Cupertino company is expected to unveil its new and very much anticipated iPhone.

The invitation features the number '12' with a subtle foreshadow effect that looks like the number '5', suggesting the event will indeed be all about a device that the media has been referring to as the iPhone 5. The new device, which has seen a variety of leaks online in the form of pictures and various specs, is expected to feature a larger touchscreen and, it's widely expected, LTE connectivity, among other features and goodies.

Apple saw a small slowdown in iPhone sales in its latest fiscal quarter, which was largely attributed to customers awaiting the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5.

Nevertheless, Apple devices still remain very much in favor with most consumers, and their popularity is rapidly growing. According to new figures released by comScore today, Apple's market share of the 114 million smartphones purchased in the United States during the three months ending in July increased 2.1 percentage points sequentially to 33.4 percent overall.

Google's Android operating system ranked as the top smartphone platform with about a 52.1 percent market share, an increase of about 1.3 percentage points.

And while Samsung's Galaxy devices have done well on average, iPhone announcements tend to eclipse the rest of the market entirely, which is why other OEMs will try to beat Apple to the plate.