Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) could have something to share by March 2017, considering that Apple Music Creative Director Zane Lowe has been announced as a keynote speaker for the 2017 SXSW. The SXSW conference, which lasts for a week, celebrates technology, film and music and could provide a hint about what the secretive Apple is planning, reports Forbes. The conference announced the names of more than 750 panels and some major keynote speakers yesterday.
Apple and SXSW: a special relationship
Over the last few years, it has been observed that the SXSW’s mid-March dates clash with those on which Apple holds its notable events. Though the U.S. firm rarely acknowledges external events and dates, the SXSW has been an exception on several occasions, notes Forbes.
Sometime ago, Apple allowed attendees at SXSW to be some of the first consumers in the world to get an opportunity to buy an iPad 2 shortly after its announcement. Also the iTunes Music Festival debuted outside of the United Kingdom at SXSW in 2014. Now three years later, SXSW will see Lowe take to the stage for the keynote at SXSW 2017.
Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer of SXSW, said, “The programming announced today reflects a lot of the bigger-picture trends we think will be getting the most buzz in March 2017. Of course, the biggest trend for SXSW is always the convergence of the technology, music, and film industries.”
What to expect about from Apple at SXSW?
Like always, the iPhone maker has not disclosed anything about what it will discuss at the event. However, it can be said for sure that the impact of Beats 1 and Apple Music on both the music industry and consumer electronics will form a part of Lowe’s talk.
According to Forbes, the timing of the event is also peculiar. Though Apple has not announced any dates, for many years, it has been conducting an event around March/April. So considering this, Forbes speculates that Lowe’s appearance “and discussion points are going to be complementary to whatever is coming out of Cupertino.”
So it wouldn’t be wrong to expect some major changes to Apple’s music platform by the end of the first quarter of next year. Also there have been reports that Beats 1 is due for a major revamp.
Since 2003, Zane Lowe has been heading up BBC Radio 1’s evening show. He resigned from the evening show on March 5, 2015 to join Apple’s service.
