Apple Fall 2014 Event Predictions

The hype is at an all time high the night before this event. This is a quick post to round up and list off what I’m expecting to see tomorrow morning.

iPhone 6#

• 4.7 inch screen
• Standard @2x screen resolution
• Available for pre-order this Friday, September 12th
• Ships next Friday, September 19th

iPhone 6+#

• 5.5 inch screen
• “One handed mode”
• Demo of split view controllers in landscape
• @3x “super retina” screen resolution
• Available for pre-order this Friday, September 12th
• Ships next Friday, September 19th

Wearable (iBand/iWatch)#

• Wireless charging without a “dock” or “charging pad” (Apple applied for a patent around such a system back in 2011)
• Numerous health and fitness sensors
• Flexible/curved screen
• Multiple models for different style preferences
• Won’t ship until next year

iOS 8#

A ship date will be announced (likely September 17th, next Wednesday).

Payments#

All devices discussed will include NFC chips to enable simple, “cardless” payments. These will use “tokenized” payments (where the actual card number isn’t transmitted wireless, but rather a one-time-use “token” is sent instead), as well as the Touch ID sensor. This will enable Apple to tout it’s approach as being more secure than previous attempts by competitors. A line up launch partners (retailers, brands, etc.) will be announced.

More#

We’ll likely see a deep dive look into the Payments and Health offerings of all the devices. A good amount of time will be devoted to the larger screens and how Apple has made using such devices with a single hand more enjoyable.

I expect we’ll also see a re-cap of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite with special emphasis on features like Continuity and Handoff.

A large portion of the presentation will likely focus on Apple’s shift into a “lifestyle” company: how it is making devices and services that solve “real” problems and “fit” well into everyone’s lives.