Apple Event Predictions

Tomorrow's a big day for Apple. Last week, the tech giant announced a much-anticipated announcement event to be held tomorrow, September 10, at Apple's Town Hall in Cupertino, CA (interesting side note: the Town Hall theater is relatively small... it can seat roughly 150 members of the press and media). 

Speculation has been flying around the Internet for several months now as to what new features the next generation iPhone would have, as well as the final release of iOS 7 (the beta versions have been available for a while now).

Here is a list of my predictions for tomorrow's event: 

iPhone

There's no doubt Apple will release not just one new iPhone, but two different versions. One version (I will call it the iPhone 5S) will replace the existing iPhone 5 with similar features and form factor, but will sport a faster processor, larger camera sensor and a fingerprint reader. There will also be a plastic version of the iPhone (I will call it the iPhone 5C), available in multiple "fun" colors.  Pre-orders will be available a day or two after the event, and availability will be a week later. The iPhone 5S will start at $199 with a 2-year contract. The iPhone 5C will either be free or $49 with a 2-year contract.

iOS 7

It's no surprise that iOS is a drastic overhaul on design when compared to iOS 6. This is the first version of iOS that has been heavily influenced by Jony Ive. It will be announced at tomorrow's event, and available within the week (as a free upgrade).

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

Along side iOS 7, Apple also previewed the next generation of OS X... Mavericks. The new OS would offer better processing and memory management, better multi-screen support, and many other great features. I predict that Apple will release OS X Mavericks in October with a price tag of $19 via the Mac App Store.

Apple TV

There hasn't been a lot of speculation related to the Apple TV, but I predict that Apple will NOT announce new hardware, but WILL announce new functionality on their existing device. The upgrade will be free, and availability will be the same time as iOS 7 and the new iPhone.

Mac Pro

Apple introduced the new Mac Pro at WWDC earlier this year, and said it would be available "this Fall". I predict they will make mention of it again at tomorrow's event, listing out specs and pricing. Availability will be in October, and the price will start at $2,999 without a display.

Cinema Displays

You can't, of course, release a new Mac Pro without releasing a refreshed Cinema Display. Apple mentioned several times in their introduction of the new Mac Pro that it will handle up to 3 4K displays at once. I predict that they will announce two new Cinema Display models... one that will support 4K resolutions (30") and one that will be normal resolutions (24"). Availability with match that of the Mac Pro (October), and the pricing will be $1,999 and $799 respectively.

Only time will tell how accurate I am on these predictions. Tune in tomorrow at 10:00a Pacific for the event!

 

Posted on September 9, 2013 and filed under Opinion.