Apple's Spring Forward event is Monday and we're ready to see what the company has been up to since their last media event.
Apple Watch
There's no doubt that this event will primarily be focused on the Apple Watch. When Apple first teased the device alongside the iPhone 6 they did leave out some details including the device's release date, pricing, and availability.
We know the base Watch Sport model will start at $349, but Apple has not revealed the pricing for the Apple Watch Edition or the regular Apple Watch. Many have speculated on the price of the gold Apple Watch with some believing the device could cost up to $19,999.
One of the biggest selling points for the Apple Watch is the ability to customize it with different bands. We still haven't heard much information on accessories, including pricing of the different bands.
Apple will likely demo more Watch features at the event, including some that we have not seen yet. Select developers have been working on apps for the Apple Watch, and we expect Apple to invite a few to showcase their work at the event. Additionally, Apple is expected to finally provide some details on the device's battery life and other technical specifications. Recent reports estimate that the smartwatch will allow for five hours of heavy usage per charge and on average should have about 25% battery remaining at the end of the day.
Apple previously revealed that its smartwatch will ship sometime in April; however, we should finally get a solid release date come Monday. We'll also find out whether or not you will be able to pre-order the device and what countries will be the first to get it.
iOS 8.2
iOS 8.2 has been in beta for sometime now but the software update for iPhone, iPad and iPods will likely be released on Monday. iOS 8.2 brings support for the Apple Watch with WatchKit -- the tools needed to help developers build Apple Watch apps that will work with their iPhone apps.
According to leaked release notes, iOS 8.2 is expected to bring improvements to the Health app as well as bug fixes and stability improvements.
New MacBook 'Stealth'?
Apple is rumored to be working on a new 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.
The new laptop is said to be considerably smaller than the 13-inch version and slightly narrower than the 11-inch model. The display bezels have been reduced in size on all sides. The keyboard sites nearly edge-to-edge and the keys have been redesigned so they are slightly closer together. The trackpad no longer has the same click that most MacBooks feature, perhaps to help reduce the thickness of the device. Overall, the notebook is said to feature a teardrop-like, tapered design that gets thinner from top to bottom. Finally, it's rumored that the device will have just a headphone jack on the left and a USB Type-C port on the right.
Unconfirmed reports claim that Apple will unveil this new notebook at its event tomorrow.
Refreshed MacBooks
Leaked screenshots suggest that Apple may be planning a refresh to its existing MacBooks that will coincide with its event tomorrow.
The rumored update to the existing MacBook Air claims that the 13-inch MacBook will come in three configurations. The first two use the 1.6GHz Core-i5 processor with 128GB or 256GB of storage; whereas, the high-end model uses the Intel Core i7-5650U 2.2GHz processor and comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of flash storage.
Photos for OS X Yosemite
Apple just seeded the first public beta of OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite which includes Photos for OS X, a new photo application that will replace Aperture and iPhoto. It's possible that Apple could take the opportunity to once again demo the application.
TUNE IN!
iClarified will be providing live blog coverage of the Spring Forward media event starting at 10:00AM PST/1:00PM EST on Monday, March 9th. If you are able to view the live video stream, you can watch it here.
Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.
Apple Watch
There's no doubt that this event will primarily be focused on the Apple Watch. When Apple first teased the device alongside the iPhone 6 they did leave out some details including the device's release date, pricing, and availability.
We know the base Watch Sport model will start at $349, but Apple has not revealed the pricing for the Apple Watch Edition or the regular Apple Watch. Many have speculated on the price of the gold Apple Watch with some believing the device could cost up to $19,999.
One of the biggest selling points for the Apple Watch is the ability to customize it with different bands. We still haven't heard much information on accessories, including pricing of the different bands.
Apple will likely demo more Watch features at the event, including some that we have not seen yet. Select developers have been working on apps for the Apple Watch, and we expect Apple to invite a few to showcase their work at the event. Additionally, Apple is expected to finally provide some details on the device's battery life and other technical specifications. Recent reports estimate that the smartwatch will allow for five hours of heavy usage per charge and on average should have about 25% battery remaining at the end of the day.
Apple previously revealed that its smartwatch will ship sometime in April; however, we should finally get a solid release date come Monday. We'll also find out whether or not you will be able to pre-order the device and what countries will be the first to get it.
iOS 8.2
iOS 8.2 has been in beta for sometime now but the software update for iPhone, iPad and iPods will likely be released on Monday. iOS 8.2 brings support for the Apple Watch with WatchKit -- the tools needed to help developers build Apple Watch apps that will work with their iPhone apps.
According to leaked release notes, iOS 8.2 is expected to bring improvements to the Health app as well as bug fixes and stability improvements.
New MacBook 'Stealth'?
Apple is rumored to be working on a new 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.
The new laptop is said to be considerably smaller than the 13-inch version and slightly narrower than the 11-inch model. The display bezels have been reduced in size on all sides. The keyboard sites nearly edge-to-edge and the keys have been redesigned so they are slightly closer together. The trackpad no longer has the same click that most MacBooks feature, perhaps to help reduce the thickness of the device. Overall, the notebook is said to feature a teardrop-like, tapered design that gets thinner from top to bottom. Finally, it's rumored that the device will have just a headphone jack on the left and a USB Type-C port on the right.
Unconfirmed reports claim that Apple will unveil this new notebook at its event tomorrow.
Refreshed MacBooks
Leaked screenshots suggest that Apple may be planning a refresh to its existing MacBooks that will coincide with its event tomorrow.
The rumored update to the existing MacBook Air claims that the 13-inch MacBook will come in three configurations. The first two use the 1.6GHz Core-i5 processor with 128GB or 256GB of storage; whereas, the high-end model uses the Intel Core i7-5650U 2.2GHz processor and comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of flash storage.
Photos for OS X Yosemite
Apple just seeded the first public beta of OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite which includes Photos for OS X, a new photo application that will replace Aperture and iPhoto. It's possible that Apple could take the opportunity to once again demo the application.
TUNE IN!
iClarified will be providing live blog coverage of the Spring Forward media event starting at 10:00AM PST/1:00PM EST on Monday, March 9th. If you are able to view the live video stream, you can watch it here.
Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.