Apple's Tim Cook is expected to kick off his reign as chief executive tomorrow

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by unveiling a hot new iPhone model that some analysts are predicting will be a bestseller.

Cook will be filling the shoes of legendary Apple co-founder and pitchman Steve Jobs, who surrendered the California company's helm in August due to health reasons.

Jobs, 56, who underwent an operation for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and a liver transplant in 2009, remains with Apple as chairman of the board of directors.

Apple is holding the event in an intimate auditorium at its Cupertino headquarters and has invited only select press to be present for Cook's on-stage debut as chief executive.

"For a moment tomorrow, all eyes will turn toward San Francisco and most activity will cease when Apple introduces the iPhone 5," said analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates.

"This event will be Tim Cook's first time out as the undisputed leader of Apple, and so it will be a test for him," Kay added.

The iPhone 5 is what analysts and others have taken to calling the new generation in Apple's sizzling smartphone line.

Apple, as usual, has provided only the scantest of hints regarding what to expect at the event.

Speculation includes talk that Cook will unveil a new iPhone with more processing power, increased touchscreen size, and ramped up camera quality.

Gadget lovers are keen to see whether the iPhone 5 will work on high-speed "4G" telecom networks.

A survey by leading mobile advertising network InMobi indicated that 41 per cent of smartphone users in Canada, Mexico, and the United States plan to buy an iPhone 5.

Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White sent out word to investors that pent-up demand for a new iPhone model could fuel record shattering sales the day it hits stores.