Apple pulls back the curtain today on its latest innovations, amid frenzied anticipation over new big-screen iPhones and possibly an "iWatch" which could shake up the world of wearable computing.
A mystery event set in San Francisco has pumped up expectations for Apple to unveil a stunning new device to its line-up of iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Macintosh computers. "Apple's iWatch category launch will be one of its most important and brand-reinforcing launches in years," Forrester analyst James McQuivey commented yesterday in a report indicating a quarter of adult US Internet users anticipate buying wearable computing devices in the coming year.
"Apple will show again how computing platforms are won or lost on the one-two punch of eager consumers and hungry ecosystem partners." Apple is seeking to show that it hasn't lost its world-dazzling magic when it comes to innovation, and to shift attention from a recent celebrity photo theft scandal.
Apple has been customarily tight-lipped ahead of the event at a performing arts center where late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer 30 years ago. But those who follow Apple are expecting bigger versions of the iPhone and - perhaps more significantly - an entry into wearables with an "iWatch."