“Let us loop you in.” – Keynote Thoughts and Predictions

Apple’s first Keynote of 2016 is set to be a tale of evolution not revolution, setting the stage before the more significant WWDC Keynote in the summer, but what can we expect to see announced…

FBI and Security

The biggest story surrounding Apple this year has unfortunately been to do with FBI and the the proposal of ‘GovtOS". I don’t expect this to be addressed head on during the keynote but I would expect a passing reference to it and Apple’s continued commitment to privacy and security.

iPhone SE

It has been nearly 2 years since Apple last updated the 4 inch iPhone (the iPhone 5s), and since then the iPhone has seen major improvements in terms of performance, camera and the inclusion of NFC to enable Apple Pay.

Although the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch screen size iPhones have proved to be extremely popular and profitable for Apple, especially in Asia, it has become apparent that there is still a significant section of the market that wish to have a smaller and lighter phone. A lot of these customers are iPhone 5/5s owners that are now due an upgrade, so this is what the iPhone SE is attempting to address.

The iPhone SE will gain the physical appearance of the iPhone 6s/6s Plus and be available in the same 4 colours as the iPhone 6s/6s Plus and start at $549 with 16GB of storage. The iPhone SE will include a slower version of the A9 Processor that’s found in the 6s and 6s Plus and Apple Pay, but not 3D Touch.

iPad Pro 9.7"

The next update to the iPad 9.7" is set to see it rebranded to the iPad Pro. Like with its existing larger sibling it is set to gain a smart connector for accessories, four speakers and support for the Apple Pencil. I would expect it to have same storage and connectivity options as the existing iPad Pro (32 GB + WiFi, 128 GB + WiFi and 128GB + WiFi/Cellular), with the 9.7” Model starting at $599, sitting above the iPad Air in lineup which will remain at $499.

Apple Watch Bands

Following in the footsteps of Apple’s last keynote, Apple are set to an announce a new set of Apple Watch Bands including the previously leaked space black Milanese loop. This should keep the the Apple Watch Lineup fresh heading through the summer, before it sees a major update later this year.

Software Updates

iOS 9.3 is now at Beta 7, and comes with some significant improvements for a point updated including night mode, secure notes and multiple users on iPad. This will likely be released after the event alongside the less significant Mac OS (10.11.4) and Watch OS (2.2) updates.