With a massive event for Apple due to take place in Cupertino, California next Tuesday, speculation is rife regarding what the consumer electronics giant will reveal. Although Apple Inc. NASDAQ:AAPL) has remained decidedly tightlipped regarding what this event will unveil, there is no doubt that September 9 will see some pretty major hardware announcements.
Apple’s iPhone 6 unveiling
Top of the list is unquestionably the iPhone 6, with many analysts believing that Apple will finally unveil both models of its most high-profile device, including what is effectively the corporation’s first phablet. Certainly this can be expected to be the centrepiece of the Cupertino conference.
There is also a wave of anticipation regarding possible revelations related to the fabled iWatch. This presumed Apple smartwatch has yet to be actually confirmed by the company itself, nor has any specific design been leaked to any media or Apple-following enthusiast blogs. But the existence of the iWatch is thought to be an absolute racing certainty, and Apple could choose to finally unveil it at the September 9 event, even though it is highly unlikely to retail during 2014.
Apple’s iPad 2 Air 2 possibility?
However, a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims to document all of the hardware products that Apple will be revealing to the public for the first time next week. Kuo has previously had a pretty good record with Apple predictions, so paying attention to his opinion would seem to be a shrewd move. Nonetheless, there are a few surprises in this Kuo authored report, not least that it claims that Apple will use the California conference to unveil the iPad Air 2.
9to5Mac has picked up on this particular opinion, and reported on the fact that Kuo expects the iPad Air 2 to take centre stage on Tuesday, thus negating the need for a separate unveiling events for the tablet in October. In accordance with this rumour, the report concludes logically that given the early unveiling of this device, Apple will not push the boat out in terms of hardware alterations, the most likely scenario being a RAM upgrade to 2 GB and the addition of TouchID.
Although the iPad has overall been a massive success for Apple, and indeed the vast sales of the tablet have popularized the tablet computer itself as a viable mass-market mobile option, the line is still in need of something of a boost. Recent sales of the iPad have been somewhat disappointing, and although tablet computing is a long way from being considered a craze which has run its course, it is clear from market figures that some of the initial enthusiasm garnered by this particular product line has dampened down recently.
Aside from predicting a new Apple tablet, the majority of Kuo’s report addresses the iPhone 6. The flagship Apple smartphone serves a dual purpose, on the one hand being one of the coolest and most fashionable consumer electronics devices in history, but on the other being a significantly important meat and potatoes money spinner for Apple.
The Kuo report States that the iPhone 6 will offer 128 GB models. This is an interesting prospect, as the recently unveiled Galaxy Note 4 from Samsung only offers this amount of storage through micro-SD. Additionally, Kuo claims that the iPhone 6’s cameras won’t have Sapphire Glass covers, with the apparent reason for this being that drop tests were failed during the QA process. According to Kuo, the iPhone 6 will also feature a barometer sensor, and that both the iPad Air 2 and the iPhone 6 will run iOS 8 out of the box.
Aside from these specific details, Kuo also suggests that there will be alterations to the iPhone power button, both in terms of its location on the device and the functionality related to it. The report predicts that the power key will be moved from its current position to the side of the device. In accordance with this, it is predicted that it will be possible to program the power key in such a way that it is integrated with specific applications. Thus, Apple intends to imbue the power key with input options as well as merely enabling it to power off the iPhone device.
iWatch specs
A final morsel of information comes regarding the aforementioned iWatch. With little specific information regarding this extremely poorly kept secret, it is interesting to note that Kuo makes some very specific claims about how the iWatch will operate. According to the analyst’s information, the iWatch will have 8GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, and will be released in two different sizes. The two models of the IWatch are intended to deliver differing styles as opposed to internal specifications.
Some interesting predictions and prognostications and there, and certainly some which generally disagree with the analyst community. Roll on Tuesday, so we can find out how accurate Kuo’s assertions are…
