We are 27 days away from the widely reported Apple event to be held on September 9th and everyone is speculating what we can expect. Here are 3 predictions on what Apple will announce:
iOS 8 Availability
Last September, Apple held a similar event and announced that iOS 7 would be available 8 days later. I expect Apple to follow suit this year and make iOS 8 available either on the 9th or within 10 days of the announcement.
iOS 8 is the update that iOS 7 needed. It refines the user experience in some key areas and offers great interplay with the Mac and Apple TV with continuity.
Under the hood, Apple has opened up a host of APIs available to Developers to make apps more interactive with Extensions at the same time carving out a new space with its announcement of Swift, a new programming language.
The next iPhone(s)
It is no secret (see the above screenshot) that Apple is encouraging Developers to make their apps play nicely with a variety of device sizes. This leads us all to believe that our Apps will soon be running on devices that vary in screen size from your typical 3.5 inch / 4 inch iPhones of today.
The bigger question here is not if there will be a bigger iPhone but perhaps how many and what sizes? Does Apple forgoe the current 4 inch iPhone for a 4.7 inch standard? What about a larger device? 5 inches?
My prediction is that Apple will unveil the next iPhone but it will come in multiple sizes with the 4 inch and 4.7 inch becoming the standard models.
One more thing?
Steve Jobs was a magical presenter, he could capture an audience with just a few words. One of his signature trademarks was the storied one more thing expectation that he baked into all of his talks.
While I doubt Tim Cook will channel the ‘one more thing’ approach, I do expect Apple to announce a new product category this fall. My question is, will this announcement be in September or October?
Historically, Apple has held announcements in September for iPhone and October for iPad. These announcements are intentionally kept separate to help both products breathe and let the market stir with anticipation.
Would Apple be willing to announce their wearable product category at this event? I am going to go out on a limb and say yes.
I hope this new product is not just another ‘watch’. Surely Apple would not just announce a ‘watch’, right? I think their wearable will be more like today’s wristbands than a traditional watch but I am hoping this announcement will awe us like the original iPhone announcement did back in 2007.
So there you have it. iOS 8, new iPhone(s) and a new wearable product line. Sound interesting? As an iOS Developer, I am looking forward to this fall to see what Apple launches to wow us once again. Until then…