Later this morning (at 10 a.m. Pacific) in San Francisco, Apple is expected to introduce its widely anticipated interim-generation iPhone, the 6s, as well as a revamped Apple TV and a larger iPad. You’ll be able to watch a live-stream of the keynote here.
The iPhone 6s will substantially resemble the bestselling iPhone 6 but is supposed to come with an improved camera (including 4K video) and a faster processor. Apple is also expected to bring “Force Touch” to the 6s. It was first introduced on the MacBook trackpad roughly six months ago.
According to Localytics, the iPhone 6 is now the dominant Apple smartphone in the market, with a 30.1 percent share of all active iPhones. The 5s is next with 24 percent. The 6 Plus has a 9.1 percent active device share.
Today, Apple is also expected to deliver an always-on “Hey Siri” capability. You can invoke Siri this way currently, but the device needs to be plugged into a power source. Android devices have had a hands-free “OK Google” hotword capability for some time now.
The news for Apple TV will be the opening up of the device to third-party developers. Analysts also expect a new UI and integration of Siri for navigation and search. There may also be set of gaming announcements. Currently, Apple TV costs $99, but the new device is supposed to cost $150, which will make it more expensive than many competing set-top boxes and streaming plugins.
Apple has also been working on content and programming packages, but it’s not clear whether there will be any announcements today related to programming.
A long-rumored “iPad Pro” may make its appearance today. It will feature a larger screen than the current iPad and start at roughly $800. The iPad Air 2 model starts at $499.
Marketers are nervously anticipating iOS 9, which will allow third-party ad-blocking apps. Indeed, AdBlock just released a browser for iOS and Android yesterday. Consumer survey data indicate that a majority of consumers are interested in ad blocking. The question is whether they’ll go the extra mile and download apps and software to make it happen.
A report from PageFair and Adobe argues that that nearly $22 billion in global ad revenues has been blocked/lost in 2015 as of early August. I would guess that ad blocking in iOS 9 won’t get much discussion (perhaps a mention) from the stage during the keynote.
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