iPhone 5

With the iPhone 5, Verizon Wireless is expected to gain a long-awaited level playing field in its battle with AT&T over iPhone sales. But the carrier is apt to aim for a solid hit rather than a home run with Apple's iPhone 5, analysts say. And for investors, that's a good thing.

The entire tech world is anxiously awaiting Tuesday's iPhone launch event. The hope: that the iEmpire's holiday lineup impresses enough to reverse a 7% stock slide that began two weeks ago. We'll have to wait until 10 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday to find out exactly what the Mac maker has up its sleeve. In the meantime, here are five things to watch for as the event unfolds.

Next week's biggest news is all but certain to be Apple's introduction of the iPhone 5, led by new CEO Tim Cook. Beyond that, there will be quarterly reports from Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Red Lobster), Monsanto, and Costco, as well as a big-screen offering from IMAX.

The final quarter of 2011 promises to be just as exciting -- and frustrating -- as the first nine months of the year have been for Wall Street. This analyst is unafraid to go out on a limb and make a few bold calls, so let's go over four of the biggest developments that will play out over the next three months.

Remember when the third quarter was supposed to bring debuts of the iPhone 5 and an Android tablet from Amazon.com? Relevant announcements may still come next week; also on tap are quarterly results from American Greetings and Paychex.

Apple shares are trading near their all-time high of $422.86, but most analysts expect them to go much higher. Forty-six analysts tracked by Thomson/First Call have a median price target of $500 -- an approximately 20% rise -- and the most optimistic among them forecasts the stock will hit $666 -- about 60% higher than it trades now.

If the growing buzz by smartphone manufacturers and tech bloggers is to be believed, we're now just a few weeks away from the iPhone 5. Apple has been fairly quiet, but that's typical of this secretive company. Using history and the rumor mill as our guide, we can begin to arrive at some fairly likely conclusions. Let's go over five of them.

Tablets, a new digital tollbooth, a traveling e-tailer, a smartphone tie-up, and a would-be titan toppler -- sounds like the plot for a Hollywood action movie, or, at the very least, the stuff that will dominate high-tech headlines in the coming days. Here's what to watch as the week unfolds.

Since debuting the product in 2007, Apple has released new versions of its signature smartphone to U.S. stores in June, with one exception (in 2008). Now, however, the iPhone 5 is set to go on sale in September, or even October. Investors should take great interest in what an autumn product launch might portend about Apple's underlying strategy.

It looks like Apple stock is one of the places skittish investors are moving money ahead of a potential U.S. debt default -- at least based on its share price. Apple's shares have risen 2% in the last week as the S&P has lost nearly 3% of its value.