Apple's attention turns to new iPads, OS X Yosemite
With Apple’s iPhone 6/Apple Watch event in the rearview mirror, attention now turns to October when another special event is likely. Cupertino has yet to announce when this event will occur. Still, we have a pretty good idea what new products will be featured.
OS X Yosemite
Since first being announced by Apple in June, OS X 10.10 Yosemite has been going through an active development and testing process.
OS X Yosemite includes a number of enhancements, including an iOS7-like interface, iCloud Drive, Handoff, and more.
Quiet iPad refresh
We don’t expect the “iPad Air 2” or the “iPad mini with Retina display 2” to look much different than Apple’s current iPad models. Both will include Touch ID, an A8 processor, and improved camera. The biggest unknown is whether they will also support Apple Pay.
Apple Pay
Speaking of which, Apple’s new mobile payment system is expected to launch in October. It will allow iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users to make purchases online and at select retail locations with their handsets. Expect a big Apple Pay push at the event.
HomeKit, HealthKit
Neither of these features arrived with iOS 8 last week. We expect both to launch through the same software update as Apple Pay.
New Macs
Apple has been quietly refreshing its Mac lineup this year, and more updates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Mac mini hasn’t been updated since October 2012, so expect to see an update here first. We may also see a Mac Pro refresh and modest iMac update. What we probably won’t be seeing (again) is a MacBook Air with Retina display unveiling.
Is it the end of the line for the iPod nano?
New iPods
The iPod Classic is officially dead, and the iPod shuffle, iPod touch, and iPod nano haven’t seen updates in two years. A new 4.7-inch iPod touch is probably going to launch next month. The future of the iPod shuffle and iPod nano are more in doubt.
Apple TV
Last week, Apple released an Apple TV update that brought a software redesign and new features like Family Sharing and iCloud Photos. These changes are the latest in a long line of software updates that have arrived for Apple’s “hobby” device in recent months.
We don’t expect to see a hardware update for the Apple TV next month.
Apple Watch
No, Apple isn’t going to announce that the Watch is being released early. However, we do expect the company to mention its new device at the October event.
The Apple Watch is expected to arrive in “early 2015.”
Summary
Next month’s Apple event should be a quiet affair, at least when compared to its massive event held earlier this month. We expect to see some nice product updates in October nonetheless.
