No fireworks – why the markets have already decided it will be a good-ish night for Apple

When Apple appointed Tim Cook s CEO they were giving the job to someone who was seen as a safe pair of hands. A man who could steer the company through the choppy water post the sad death of Steve Jobs and look to the future.

Tonight I think will be all about consolidation and the real beginning of Tim Cook’s Apple. The company hasn’t had the best 2013 with the debacle over the maps and the rumours of delayed launches. Yet here we are in September and the company has clearly got some big and possibly good news for us tonight.

Expectations have been managed too.No one is predicting anything amazing this evening, Instead what we will get is a consolidation of the main iPhone brand in the 5S and a new option for emerging markets and those with lower spending power in the 5C.

Apple tonight will walk a tightrope. It will do just enough to convince everyone that it is keeping pace with Samsung and Sony while at the same time introducing a new range that will significantly widen its appeal.

I think the financial institutions in the US have already made their call on this one. If the evening pans out pretty much as we expect with the prices and specs for both phones still pegged pretty high not to sully the brand – but for the 5C cheap enough to grow its range (especially with young women!) the US stocks will remain steady.

It is interesting that Apple’s stock has slowly risen in the last few weeks.Obviously nowhere near its peak of around a year ago, but enough to steady the ship. No one is expecting any fireworks tonight or even a lacklustre parade of new products. So the jury has already made its mind up.

The 5S will keep a few more of the faithful on board while the 5C will encourage a few Android owners to swap brands.

And if that one last thing appears then who knows what might happen.

For Tim Cook and his team the future of Apple is all about 2014. Fail to innovate then and they will pay the price. But for tonight it is steady as she goes.