This Tuesday the nearly 16 months of waiting will finally come to a conclusion. Cook and team will take the stage at 4 infinite loop (the auditorium is building 4) and announce how Apple will bring the iPhone into the future.
I have decided to throw my hat in the ring with event predictions as well. So I thought it would be fun to put all my predictions in writing, come back October 4th and see how well I did.
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iPhones:
I expect Apple to talk about 3 iPhones, and introduce a new strategy to cover the basic to the high end.
iPhone 3GS
You may have heard of this one…it’s been around awhile and frankly its still selling incredibly well. I expect Apple to continue selling this device as their new entry level iPhone. My guess is Apple will drop the off-contract price down to a mere $299 and AT&T (and international carriers) will offer this device as a contract free prepaid device. I think AT&T will gladly let you sign a contract and get a free 3GS as well.
I took a brief look at the current market of prepaid phones and it appears that the $199 to $299 range pretty fairly covers the smartphone offerings. While some other devices in the range may exceed the iPhone in specs they certainly don’t in customer interest.
Finally, I think Apple’s willingness to keep the iPhone 3GS as part of the iOS 5 development process is an indication they aren’t quite ready to send it out to pasture.
iPhone 4(s?)
Staying true to form I expect Apple to reduce the price of the iPhone 4 down to a mere $99 on contract and continue to sell it like hot cakes. The new iPhone 4 will be nearly identical except for two minor changes. First, it will be an 8gb model. Secondly, it will have a slightly modified antenna system (which was shown off in a few leaked parts) that will “fix” the antenna-gate issue. Outside of that the iPhone 4 will remain the device we currently know and love. I don’t expect an a5, I don’t expect a better camera. Nothing but a minor decrease in flash storage.
Also, I don’t think a device called the iPhone 4s will ever launch.
iPhone 5
Finally, the one everyone actually cares about, the iPhone 5. I strongly believe Apple will not maintain the iPhone 4 form factor for this new device. I also, do not believe they will utilize the iPhone 4s nomenclature. If all Apple intended to do was bump up the CPU, Memory, and Camera of the iPhone 4 it would have shipped 3 months ago.
I expect the recent case-mate and other case manufacturer leaks to be accurate, a new iPhone design that is somewhere between iPod touch and iPad 2. Smooth rounded edges and a marginally larger screen.
A large quantity of rumors pointed at “edge-to-edge” screen but more importantly a screen around 4 inches. Out of all my predictions, the one I am most confident in is that if Apple changes the screen size it will not be over 3.8 inches. Simply because the pixel density Steve Jobs bragged about on stage was “Over 300 pixels per inch” and 3.8 rounds it out at 303ppi. Apple is not prepared to change course on their retina message a mere 16 months after announcement, and they are less prepared to create an even higher resolution display.
Also, long rumored, is a wider home button. I expect this to happen and I expect it to be part of a usability push that Apple has since been fairly quiet about. Gestures. With iOS 5 the multitasking gestures have become a native functionality of the iPad 2, and frankly bring ease of use to an all new high. However, as anyone who has tried can attest, 4 and 5 finger gestures don’t quite translate to a 3.5 (or 3.8) inch screen. By adding a new wide home button Apple could implement simple 1 or 2 finger gestures to replace all 4 iPad gestures.
- Swipe left to right or right to left to do app switching
- Pinch in with two fingers to go to the home screen
- Pinch out with two fingers to reveal the multitasking bar.
Now, as a final point of clarity on this new home button, I do not believe Apple will remove it’s current inherent functionality. It will still have a tactile press, and single and double taps will still function as always. I have long said the home button is the “escape hatch” for the less technically savvy. It adds a layer of simplicity on top of the OS that would be damaging to remove.
As for other new features? a5, 1gb ram, 8mp camera, 1080p video capture, and built in Assistant / Nuance integrations.
iPods:
I tend to agree with some recent rumors that indicate Apple will be dropping the iPod classic as well as iPod shuffle from the iPod line. I expect Apple to slowly migrate away from non iOS devices and hang on to the touchscreen based iPod nano which is already looking and acting more and more iOS like.
Apple will update the iPod touch only marginally by slapping a coat of white on the model and adding the a5 to the higher end models. Personally, I do not expect to see any iPod Touch 3g devices at this announcement but maybe next year for 2012 holiday season.
Apple TV:
I am not anticipating a new AppleTV. While they could probably churn out a new AppleTV with a5 and 1080p output the video collection inside of iTunes is still 720p and there really is no reason not to hang onto the current model a little while longer.
An Actual Apple Tv:
Nope. Not this year.
Misc Announcements:
iOS 5 GM, Available Today! (Publicly Available a few days later)
Macbook Air is best selling mac computer ever selling XX million.
iPad is doing better than anyone could have ever expected (except for Steve).
No inclusion of Jobs in the Keynote. Cook will take the Jobs role and announce the device and hand it off to Schiller or Forstall (or both) to give further details.
UPDATE: I strongly believe Apple with invite someone from Facebook on stage to talk about their all new Facebook application that is a universal binary for iPhone and iPad. If it doesn’t happen on stage, it will happen same day.
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I think that about sums it up. It’s worth noting that I have no affiliation with Apple, besides of course being a customer of theirs. Also, all these predictions are simply the guesses of someone who pays probably too much attention. Also, there have been so many rumors I simply didn’t cite anyone specifically. However, the only posted prediction I have strong faith in is that of the folks of Thisismynext, soon to be the Verge, where in April Josh Topolsky scooped the “teardrop” design and elongated home button. Link Here.
