Michael Anderson asked a question on our back channel this morning about what we hoped to see with today’s Apple announcement at 10am PT. It’s fast approaching, and we all plan on watching together here. In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to post our predictions and see how many of them come true. We’ll also update the post with commentary and photos from the apple livestream. 
Mike A.: My Apple Event – predictions, hopes and purchases.
I Predict: – 4.7″ iPhone exactly as rumored, with NFC, not waterproof. – No 5.5″ announced – iWatch teased with release November or later – New iPad with TouchID otherwise a snoozer
Hope: – iPhone centric – 4.7 AND 5.5 announced, both with water resistance (not proof) – 5.5″ has a true phablet experience as rumored, with iPad like interface in portrait mode. – New pricing structure keeps 128GB 5.5″ less than $100 off contract – iWatch is more than a me-too product … there was a lot of stuff at IFA – New iPad makes me eat my words about not buying one
Purchases? – If a 5.5″ comes out and isn’t TOO pricey I will buy it. Nothing else planned.
Joel: I think the 4.7 and 5.5 are sure bets, and it will look similar to the leaked images but not 100 percent. The iWatch is smoke. I think that it’s going to be another year before they have a watch. If it’s a watch. Why? Battery life. No watch has good enough battery life yet. No rumblings of Apple TV this year so maybe that’s the longshot?
As for purchases….
My wife would like a new iPhone and my son would, too. Not sure how big they’d go. I think it will take seeing the 5.5 inch before they decide. My son is more likely for the 5.5 than Misty.
As for myself? No iPhone, but if they announce an iPod Touch with decent specs(not likely), I may get that or a iPad Mini just so I can get a better handle on iOS for support reasons, not a daily driver with one exception: Amazon streaming. If a client for Amazon comes out for Android, then I’ll use that.
Dan: Here are my predictions:
- 4.7″ and 5.5″ iPhones announced. 4.7″ available quite soon, with the 5.5″ late November.
- NFC with a new payment approach that will be presented as something new and innovative.
- Waterproof. Move away from 3.5mm headphones jack. 128GB for both… 5.5″ at a ridiculous premium.
- iWatch announced but not available until just before CES. iPad air with bumped specs.
- Nothing for mini or touch.
- Something no one is expecting…. But I’m not sure what that is but something that will let Apple look like they are back in the innovative seat.
- I’ll get the 4.7″ iPhone for case reviews and either Elana will take it or I’ll sell in three months.
Mike A.: Joel, the Amazon streaming thing surprised me … I am so used to streaming Amazon video on my iPad, iPhone, or Kindle Fire that when I looked for the app for the Galaxy Note 3 and it wasn’t there … ugh.
Joel: Heh heh. Rumor has it is that it’s coming, but I saw that rumor back in JUNE, and it still hasn’t happened. Nice wish, Dan Cohen, and to be honest it’s something they need. If this is just another spec bumped iPhone even WITH the bigger screens, then it’s not enough. A fingerprint reader was a good addition but not enough last year. IT DID sell well though, so they have that, but that will only get them so much. People not only have to buy the device but keep talking about it. Otherwise it risks turning into a blackberry or palm.
As an Android guy I want Android to have a strong competitor. They DO for the moment still, but if it’s just playing it safe…well Android will take the risks it needs to get to number 1. (Android L is awesome)
Wayne: I think if Apple was not going to announce anything which was widely rumored and expected — they would have started managing the expectations by controlled leaks.
Joel: Hence the watch thing. The watch seems like the Apple branded TV was for the last 2 years. I just don’t see the watch happening.
Judie: I predict that everything which has been leaked will be announced, including the watch. There won’t be something else – unless you count the watch as the something else.
I’ll buy the 5.5 for case reviews, but if it’s not waterproof, if it doesn’t have 128GB, and if the camera isn’t amazing, I’ll be selling it in 3 – 4 months.
Dan: The thing is… all reports are that security has been greater here than in recent memory. So maybe… just maybe there will be a surprise.
Really bummed I will be in meetings pretty much all the way through it.
Joel: Trying to finish up an install so I can watch while I write the report up for it!
Those are our predictions … we have just 30 minutes before the event starts. We’ll see if we are close, or if Apple throws us all a curve ball. Go get your popcorn, and we’ll see you back here in just a bit!
12:03: I think that the Apple live feed must have blown up; first we have the TV truck feed for three minutes, and now it is the black screen of doom!
12:07: Had to switch to Endgadget’s Livestream, because the Apple feed is totally gone. Way to go, Apple! =P And there are two different sizes, and the leaks were right! Well!!!
12:09:
“I’m honored to be the one to tell you about the new iPhones. Their design is like nothing ever before. Incredibly unique. The glass front, the curves around the side, to meet seamlessly with the aluminum back.” – Phil Schiller
Retina Display HD, the next generation Retina displays.
12:12: And yes, the screens will be 4.7″ and 5.5″ big. Way to keep a lid on those leaks, Apple. =P
12:14: The larger iPhone will be called the Plus, and it will be 7.1mm, where the iPhone 6 will be 6.9mm. The Plus will come with double-paned landscape view.
Also watching the Verge’s Livestream.
12:17: There is a new chip, the Apple A8, which is a 64-bit chip.
12:18: 20% faster processor, 50% faster graphics …better performance — full power without heat, and now game demos … 12:20: the iPhone is supposed to be up to “50% more energy-efficient, so you can have higher sustained performance” — sounce – Apple.com 12:24: 14 hours of 3G talk time for hte 6, and 24 for the Plus.
10 days standby for the 6, 16 for the Plus. 11 hours of video for the 6, 14 for the Plus. – Engadget
12:25: There is an M8 motion coprocessor that measures distance, elevation changes (like stairs), and a barometer. There will also be advanced wireless specs.
12:26: The LTE is better now. There are 20 LTE bands, which is insane. And it does “carrier aggregation” to maximize speed. – The Verge
12:28: New camera specs – 8 megapixel, true-tone flash, 1.5 micron pixels, and f/2.2 aperture
And a next generation iSight sensor with “Focus Pixels” (?).
12:32: The iPhone 6 has “digital” image stabilization, but the 6 Plus has optical image stabilization. – The Verge
… and I can’t help but think that the new iPhone 6s look just like the HTC One and the M8. Boo. =(
Okay, so the camera should be spectacular. That’s great, though.
What’s next? … Waiting … Improved Face Detection ….
12:38: Oh hooray, the Apple stream is back. Silicone cases, meh. Leather cases. Meh.
iPhone 6 comes in Gold, silver, and space gray. The iPhone 6 will be $199, the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299, and they will ship on September 19. Preordering starts this Friday, September the 12th.
Now we are talking about how to pay, which means NFC, right??
Well, it’s …
12:47: Apple Pay. Of course. “An entirely new payment process.”
So yes, Apple just invented NFC. 😉
You’ll use the card you already have associated with your Apple ID, and you can suspend payments through Find My iPhone. That’s cool.
It will work with Amex, MasterCard and Visa. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique number … and your number is not stored on your phone. Whole Foods and McDonald’s will have it, so right there — Apple just nailed both ends of the spectrum, wouldn’t you say? 😛
Here comes the one more thing …
This has to be the watch. 😛 Are you ready??
Yes, it’s the Apple Watch. And there is even an 18K version … I wonder what that will cost, and how soon it will be obsolete. =/
The large crown on the side is the controller, pressing it takes you to the home screen, and it is made to be worn all day. You can pinch in and zoom out by using the crown — or you can use it to scroll.
It has a magsafe wireless inductive charger. Apple is calling it a watch, not a wearable.
There are two Apple Watch sizes; women and men with smaller wrists don’t have to suffer under a bulky big square watch! Straps look easy to swap out, too.
Of course, the iPhone will be required with the Apple Watch.
Well, it looks like every single thing I predicted happened — no surprises for me today! 😉
1:27: Still waiting on the price for the Apple Watch, though … I’ll post as soon as they mention it. We are still in the midst of the “Oh, I’ve got to have it, give it to meeeeeee” build up right now.
1:39: Watching videos on all of the health features of the Apple Watch now; I think the days of the stand-along heath trackers are done.
Great news — the Apple Watch will work with the iPhone 5, 5S, and 5C. It starts at $349, and it will be available in early 2015.
Surprise (not really) — Apple Pay will work with Apple Watch!
And to make up for making everyone wait until 2015 (and missing the holiday gift market) for the Apple Watch, here is U2!
Did you all enjoy Apple’s over the top dog and pony show? Will you be buying an Apple iPhone 6? An iPhone 6 Plus. or an Apple Watch?
Oh, by the way — Apple is going to put the U2 album “Songs of Innocence” on iTunes for free right now — go get it; it should be in your downloads folder, waiting.
That crashing sound was Garmin seeing the forerunner line go up in flames…no way the average person is picking a forerunner over the Apple watch.
Absolutely right – which is why they are pushing the low-end, Carly! The VivoSmart they just announced, the FR-15 I just reviewed … those are the only chances of success. My friend at work has a Samsung Fit watch and despite flaws he finds it pretty reasonable …
Once again another category slowly dies.
And just confirmed by boring-dude, the heart rate is directly read.
Except one thing…with a forerunner…you don’t need an iPhone…
Sure that is true – but one of the real fundamentals of the smartwatch category is fitness tracking. So it is almost a ‘basic requirement’ …
Yea but most runners carry a phone for safety anyway. Between android wear and the Apple watch, there’s far better options out there.
Ooh – smart move making iWatch work with the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s!
True Carly. If you run outside. Sometimes you don’t though so it would be nice to have an option to leave the phone at home. If you want. Most won’t though.
I’m yawning a lot during this watch demo. Haven’t we seen most of this already?
And so I presume that since it was mentioned that iPhone is required to us the watch. Why use a watch to make a SIRI question? Why not just use my iPhone which I’m presumably required to have paired.
Smart watches are solutions in search of problems.
$349 ‘starting’ price … wonder what that means for the different editions.
And the ‘charge at night’ essentially loses the sleep tracking functionality of other devices (though the same is true for Samsung’s, with many talking about charging twice in a day)
Ooh … iPay works with the watch as well. Makes sense, but still cool.
Yeah I am not so sure about the price…
I want to know how much the gold Apple Watch is going to be, and how quickly it is going to be obsolete. It seems ridiculous to even offer that. =P
So the cases are meh. OK, but they work. If made
From 18ct gold you’d moan about the price…
Phone looks like HTC One and so is “boo”. Hmm, they round the edges. The HYc One is considered a good design – now you get one with a good camera and you moan. If they made it pyramidal you’d moan about that.
Apple not claiming they invented NFC, stop being daft. Apple Pay may actually be a good use for NFC – unless tapping phones to share songs is useful…Retailers now have a reason to get it working, try and be a bit positive Joel.