Choices: Apple , iOS 7 and iPhone 5S

I'm not investing in a new iPhone 5S. I know this, and a few other things after today's not-so "news event" in California.

I would gather that most owners of close-to-current iPhone products will hold off on taking the plunge on the new flagship phone.  Here are a few reasons why:

1. iOS7 is coming to an iPhone near you on September 18--FREE! Why dole out cash or burn an upgrade discount on the 5S when you'll get 75 percent of the experience in the new operating system. I'm excited about iOS7.


2. iTunes Radio is comin to an iPhone near you--and it's FREE, too!!! This is another cool software option coming down the pike that I'm jazzed to play with on my current iPhone 5.


3. iWorks for FREE! Did I get that right. iWorks will be free as part of the iOS7 upgrade? If so, that is a pretty big deal and will make a huge difference creating content on the iPad.


4. Finally, I'm saving my Apple budget for the next generation iPad, which is expected to hit the market sometime in the 4th quarter of the year.

Apple will take flak for lack of innovation, but their phone products are the gold standard and work better than ANY Android device I've encountered. And the apps are just better. Consider today's announcement the first of a one-two punch that will culminate with the iPad update later this year.

As for the innovation lag, it's pretty easy to see that the fingerprint security technology will be huge as we continue to do more and more commerce on our mobile devices. Since this is a nascent trend, I'm content with holding off on the upgrade...for now. But competitors can't jam Apple for lack of innovation. This is a cool, breakthrough feature that will likely amplify how we use our mobile devices in the future.

I choose to take the FREEBIES....and wait for the new iPad.