There appears to be no stopping Apple and Samsung from suing each other. They continue to do battle in courts around the world over various and sundry intellectual property matters. While Apple gained a notable victory in a Northern California court last year, they haven’t collected any money, and Samsung is still selling the same smartphones and tablets.

In recent weeks, it has also been reported that Apple is working to move more and more component purchasing to other suppliers. Samsung has earned billions of dollars per year from Apple to build processors and supply memory chips and other components. Certainly Apple must be reluctant to want to enrich a heated competitor with whom they are battling in the courts, so this makes sense. But it would seem not to make sense for Samsung, considering all that lost business will be difficult — if not impossible — to replace.

The latest battle, however, is all about mobile devices. In March, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S4 smartphone, successor to the hot-selling Galaxy S3. They spent a bundle on a lavish if poorly executed presentation, but there was plenty of media interest. It was only natural to expect immediate comparisons between the S4 and the iPhone 5.

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Loyal Apple customers haven’t had an easy ride over the years. For those of you who started using Macs back in the 1980s, at times you wondered whether the company would be bought out and fade away, or just shut down. This was particularly true in the early 1990s, long after the enforced departure of co-founder Steve Jobs. It seemed as if Apple just couldn’t catch a break, but don’t forget the procession of clueless executives who hastened the process simply because they didn’t get it.

You can certainly agree that Steve Jobs got it, for after his return to the company, he fashioned it into the most powerful tech business on the planet. Today, Apple counts for a lot more than Microsoft, even though the aging Windows OS is still to be found on the majority of PC desktops. Today, Microsoft is fighting the battle to remain relevant with the apparent failure of Windows 8 and the Windows Phone mobile platform.

All right, maybe Windows isn’t quite a failure yet, but Microsoft needs to make a lot of changes before it’s too late.

Despite hitting the pinnacle of success, Apple’s future prospects are being questioned by the media and industry analysts. After a record quarter that didn’t quite match estimates from the financial community, Apple has continued to confront declines in the stock price and perceptions that their best days are behind them. Without significant product updates in the first quarter of the year — and the MacBook Pro with Retina display refresh was so minor you wonder why it merited a press release — the critics are wondering about the next great media event.

If you look at traditional product roadmaps, they’re skewed. The iPad had a full refresh in October, so it may be a tad early for another. It’s also early in the game for the iPhone, and now that a slightly revised version will be sold by T-Mobile — the revisions to accommodate different cellular frequencies — would Apple just render the model obsolete two months later?

Last year, the iPhone 5 arrived 11 months after the iPhone 4s. If that schedule is kept, and nothing is certain with Apple, the next model will arrive in August along with iOS 7. The only Mac that hasn’t had a recent update is the Mac Pro. Tim Cook has promised something big to satisfy the content creators who depend on that workstation to earn their keep, but when will it happen?

And will it be built in the USA?

The next Mac Pro refresh, with a new name or not, would seem tailor-made for the WWDC, which usually happens in June. But the next generation of Intel Xeon chips that might be fitted into the guts of a Mac Pro won’t be out until later in the year, though it’s not at all unusual for Apple to get first dibs on new processors. It’s also possible that Cook will announce a new Mac Pro in June for, say, August shipment. Since existing Mac Pros can’t even be sold in Europe, the potential loss of sales won’t account for much.

The WWDC might also launch OS 10.9 and iOS 7, though it’s possible there will be earlier media events to introduce both. But time is short.

So what other product might Apple deliver before June? Or will it be barren until then? Well, beyond a new iPad, and there are unconfirmed reports that iPad mini shipments will be cut early in the quarter in preparation for a new model, what else does Apple have up its immense sleeve?

Sure, Cook has promised great things this year, but that promise only raises anticipation that the promise will be kept. So what can we expect? One possibility is a wearable device of some sort, perhaps an iWatch. But aside from rumors that 100 Apple engineers were working on the product, nothing has been heard. There are no supply chain leaks as to the form such a beast might take, whether it’ll be an iPhone and iPad peripheral, or serve duty as a standalone device. Nothing. However, a consumer gadget of that sort might best appear as a fall introduction ahead of the holiday season.

The same might be true if Apple plans to do a major Apple TV upgrade of some sort, and particularly if that upgrade will accompany the release of a TV set. A recent story had it that Apple was considering a move to the high-resolution 4K format (HDTV on steroids), but that would mean a huge purchase price. Besides, Apple rarely ventures into such uncharted waters of that sort early on. If 4K, or Ultra HD, really catches on, Apple might get involved once the prices for the hardware approach reasonable levels, and we’re still a few years away from that, assuming customers even care. Remember that 3D has done little or nothing for TV makers, and you can find the feature even in relatively cheap TVs these days. It’s just another seldom-used feature that is used for bragging rights.

It may also be true that Apple is planning something none of the analysts has predicted. Hard to believe, but it might explain Apple’s silence on such matters.

As we approach the second quarter of 2013, and Apple’s stock price remains down in the dumps, you have to wonder what the company is preparing for its next act. So far this year, Apple product changes or refreshes have been relatively minor in the scheme of things. The MacBook Pro with Retina display may be cheaper, or at least a little faster. You can get a 128GB version of the full-sized iPad, and a more power efficient chip is being used on the Apple TV. The phrase” big deal” doesn’t even come close.

Through this period, there have been loads of predictions about the next major Apple product launch. Some suggested a new iPhone, perhaps an iPhone 5s, which will look much the same as the current version with new stuff inside, will arrive this summer. Last year, the iPhone refresh occurred in September. But inasmuch as T-Mobile will only start carrying the iPhone 5 in April, that would mean a short shelf life. With a new carrier and a new marketing scheme that allegedly frees you of carrier contracts and early termination fees, maybe Apple will move a few million more iPhones in the next quarter.

Besides, Apple has traditionally released new iPhones with a new version of the iOS. Unless something is announced real soon now, details won’t emerge beyond the rumors until the WWDC, which will probably happen in June. What’s more, Apple will want to give developers at least a few weeks to check the betas, so that still takes us to an August or September timeframe.

But since no Apple media events have been announced so far this year, speculation reigns supreme. I’m just trying to take a middle-of-the-road approach and look at what’s reasonable rather than delve into baseless analysis and predictions. At the same time, I recognize that Apple is under severe pressure to produce and produce big in light of growing skepticism about continuing record-shattering growth patterns.

An iPhone may be the least of it, whether a new one arrives this summer or a bit later in the year. Let’s skip all the talk about whether Apple can compete with other players in the smartphone space, such as the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Let’s move to the “lowly” iPad. About the only possible certainty nowadays is that the iPad mini has or will become the best selling iPad. But when is Apple going to add a Retina display to the mini? Inquiring minds want to know, but it’ll all come down to whether Apple can continue to deliver the tablet for the same price with the display enhancement.

One larger issue is that other companies continue to attempt to play defense about what Apple may be doing, and deliver products that attempt to address the anticipated competition. In 2010, a number of tablets, mostly prototypes, were in evidence at the Consumer Electronics Show amid expectations that Apple was poised to enter the tablet space later that year. When the iPad came out — and the form factor was fairly predictable in light of the iPhone — many of those products vanished in the haze.

As the result of a statement about discovering the secret of the best TV interface ever in the authorized biography of Steve Jobs, the tech industry was clearly spooked. More and more so-called smart TVs were introduced at the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Consumer Electronics Show. You even saw so-called 4K TVs, which is, I suppose, roughly the equivalent of adding a Retina display on a Mac insofar as improving picture quality was concerned. This is the natural evolution of the TV industry, of course, but it was also, in part, about anticipating Apple’s next move.

Other than continuing the Apple TV “hobby,” Apple hasn’t indicated yet how interest in the living room will reveal itself in new cutting-edge products. The “interest” has yet to be defined, so the media continues to suggest the form factor of the alleged Apple smart TV. The latest round of speculation has it that Apple is considering 4K, but without actual 4K source material from the usual content providers, it’s just one of those neat ideas that may take years to appear in an affordable product that people can really use. A 4K today from Apple would be as much a fancy toy for the one percent as the ones from the rest of the TV industry. Besides, at a normal viewing distance, picture quality may actually not be that much better.

I won’t get into the iWatch, except to point out that, yet again, such companies as Samsung are working on their answer to something from Apple that still doesn’t exist.

It doesn’t help that Apple has been relatively quiet on the new product front, despite tantalizing hints that great things are in the works. But the question is when the next media event will be scheduled. Will it be about OS X and iOS, new iPads, new iPhones, something in the watch or TV space? Or are we all looking for answers in the wrong place?

If you believe T-Mobile’s hype machine, they are doing away with the traditional wireless carrier contract. Instead of being saddled with a two-year contract and early termination fees if you quit early, the handset will be unbundled from your cellular plan. So you will get a lower price, sort of.

Now it’s true that T-Mobile has offered cheaper prices than the competition, and the decision to roll out LTE service will help the company catch up with AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless. But it’ll take time, since only seven U.S. markets are getting LTE from T-Mobile in the initial rollout, including Houston, Las Vegas and Phoenix. But not New York City, Chicago, or any of the very largest cities. But give them time. The company promises support for 200 million U.S. residents by the end of the year.

As to the handsets, you can buy one upfront with a single payment of hundreds of dollars for the flagship models from major companies. Or, and this is the catcher, make a smaller down payment and pay the rest over 24 months. So when the iPhone 5 arrives on April 12, the down payment will be $99, with an additional $480 paid over a 20 month period. Total cost $579. The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s will be appropriately cheaper. After two years, the phone is yours, and your T-Mobile monthly payments will be reduced accordingly.

Yes, you can cancel your T-Mobile plan at any time, but you’re still obligated to pay for the phone. So how does that differ from the early termination fees exacted by other carriers?

T-Mobile can rightly argue that, with a traditional subsidized deal, even after two years you are still making payments on your handset, since the price doesn’t drop. So T-Mobile gets kudos for honesty. At the same time, many customers do upgrade handsets every couple of years, so the cost advantages may be less certain in the real world. There is also the issue of getting credit approval for a payment plan, and the standards could be more stringent than the wireless contract itself. That remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, it’s not that iPhone users haven’t already signed up with T-Mobile. An estimated two million iPhones are on the carrier’s network now, but saddled with what are essentially 2G download speeds, because T-Mobile uses a frequency for 4G speeds, 1700MHz, that isn’t supported by the iPhone. But the company is reportedly working on switching a large portion of their network to 1900MHz, same as AT&T, in the coming months. That will mean a sudden and very large speed boost for existing iPhone customers. In any case, the T-Mobile version of the iPhone is a tweaked version that already supports the existing frequencies, which may explain why it took a little more time for Apple’s smartphone to be offered.

So how will you benefit from T-Mobile’s official support for the iPhone? Well, if you’re an AT&T customer with a contract due to expire soon, or you’re in the market for a new wireless plan, having an affordable alternative is a good thing. If you have an iPhone 5 to bring to T-Mobile, or plan on buying one, you may suddenly experience higher quality calls (sometimes anyway), because T-Mobile will be the U.S. only carrier to offer the handset’s HD Voice feature. Though Apple touted the high fidelity voice feature during the iPhone 5 rollout last September, it hasn’t meant a thing for U.S. customers.

Early reports from those who attended the T-Mobile rollout report more robust voice quality, although it may not account for much if the person at the other end of call isn’t using T-Mobile. But it will provide T-Mobile with yet another competitive advantage.

The rise of T-Mobile from failed AT&T merger partner is actually a good thing. It gives Apple a wider reach, but it also offers some needed competition for the top three carriers. It will also give an alternative for disgruntled AT&T users. T-Mobile has rated somewhat better than AT&T, although your experience will vary from city to city.

While I realize some of you may depend on Consumer Reports to accurately rate wireless carriers, the recent ratings are curiously contradictory. So, for example, T-Mobile rates a 64, just two points ahead of AT&T for what the magazine calls “Standard Service,” which means postpaid, where you’re billed for services you’ve already received. Under the “Prepaid Service” category, where you pay for your services in advance, T-Mobile gets a 76, third in the list, while AT&T’s GoPhone service garners a 68, which is dead last. Assuming the same or a similar handset, you’d expect the ratings between prepaid and postpaid services to be essentially identical. You are, after all, using the same network; only the payment plan is different.

But that isn’t what CR’s survey shows, and that would appear to put the entire rating structure in question. But it’s not that the magazine will ever presume to explain such discrepancies. Ratings of this sort are largely based on reader responses to questionnaires, a highly subjective and inaccurate resource, rather than direct research into actual carrier performance in any individual city.

In any case, the media is already touting T-Mobile’s decision to kill traditional carrier contracts as a sea change for the wireless industry. But if you are obligated to pay for your new handset every single month for the same period as the standard subsidy deal, what difference does it make? Marketing wins again over logic.