Prediction: Apple Special Event March 2019

It is indeed that time again for Apple to have their first press event of the year, and this year shall prove to not disappoint. I say that for these reasons:

1.) Apple will move further into subscription streaming services that will be undervalued at first, but quickly become a main competitor in the field. 

2.) I believe we will see Apple get back to its roots with creative professionals featuring their refreshed modular Mac Pro and  Display.

3.) The future of iOS and macOS will be a heavily talked about item come the 2019 Apple Developer Conference (WWDC) in June. I believe 2019 will be the year the iPad Pro breaks free and allows for more structured file management as well as the ability to run Xcode, or something equivalent to it, to develop apps natively on the device. We will see both mobile and desktop platforms evolve closer and closer together with more enhancements and features.

But let’s talk about what we will see on the 25th of March.
Services,               📹(Video)
Services,               📕(Magazine)
Services.               📰(News)
🙃

Although Apple is rumored to focus primarily on services and subscriptions at this event, I believe we will get some incremental hardware updates as well.

Apple back in March 2018 acquired the digital magazine subscription app called Texture. I believe we will see Apple put together a solution to re-launch and bundle these magazines along with iCloud Storage, Apple Music, and other other services.

Additionally the team at Apple has been building an organization to start creating content for their very own videos streaming service. I believe this service will be comprised of some original content as well as other content that is currently available on competing platforms. 

Apple seems to be preparing to release an updated pair of AirPods. This will most likely include a wireless charging case as well as it could feature health tracking features. I really believe Apple at the very least needs to offer AirPods with a case that will wirelessly charge. This will open up a whole new way for people to drop their earphones case on a Qi compatible charger to ensure they’re always charged and ready to go for the day. The new AirPods, or AirPods 2, will support a hands free “Hey Siri” which will open up more possibilities for Apple’s personal assistant to be used. Think of the incredible opportunity Apple has here with accessibility features for the community. We even saw this use of hands free “Hey Siri” which was paired with the  Watch in the opening video from Apple’s Special Events keynote in September 2018.

It’s also very possible that we will see the release of the highly anticipated AirPower, but quite honestly it’s been such a long wait since they originally announced the product in 2017, that a hardware launch like this would most likely be saved for the developer conference in June. What I will say about Apple is although they have been announcing products and features before they were ready, they usually do the right thing and wait until they are ready for prime time to launch to their customers.

Lastly Apple is due to make minor enhancements to their entry level iPad which is targeted towards education as a cost sensitive model, as well as being long overdue for an iPad Mini update! The iPad Mini when launched in 2012 was one of my favorite devices. It seemed at the time to be the perfect size to easily carry with you in your bag for consuming content, as well as a good size to be an IT troubleshooting tool.

And of course it wouldn’t be a recent Apple event without Apple launching new seasonal  Watch bands. We can count on seeing them in stores soon! ⌚️

Be sure to tune in on Monday, March 25th at 1 PM EST/ 10 AM PST to find out!
https://www.apple.com/apple-events/

Be well. 

-Joe
joe@macmeicloud.com