Apple is widely expected to unveil the new iPhone 6 smartphones tomorrow at its event at the historic Flint Center in San Jose, California. It’s the venue where Steve Jobs unveiled the original Macintosh computer 30 years ago. This venue is larger than the venues Apple typically chooses for special product unveilings so most analysts and pundits expect the company to make a historic announcement.
But Why The Extra Structure?
That historic announcement is widely rumored to be the new smart watch, dubbed the Apple iWatch. CEO Tim Cook has stated earlier in the year that the company was going to enter an entirely new product category. But what exact technology the iWatch will feature is anybody’s best guess. And that says nothing about what it may look like.
It has been suggested that the new iWatch and the new iPhone 6 smartphones will both feature the ability to make payments with the devices in lieu of a credit card. Apple has reportedly secured business deals with American Express, Visa and other leading credit card firms. The mysterious structure may feature mock stores where the press can see first hand how using Apple’s new devices save time at checkout, by simply tapping the device near a NFC capable cash register. The mock stores could be mini versions of leading retailers who Apple has partnered with and kept those partnerships secret.
Another key technology likely to be powered by Apple’s next devices is Apple’s HealthKit, which is a set of software technologies tied to leading edge sensor technology aimed at the medical, health and fitness markets. The market is already filled with devices that can take a person’s pulse or temperature. But Apple’s HealthKit has expansive ambitions and the company has hired leading health scientists and experts in the sensor field.
01 – Apple’s mysterious all white structure in front of the Flint Center in San Jose. Nobody knows what is inside and why they built it. We will all find out tomorrow. (image courtesy of 9to5 Mac, All Rights Reserved)
And speaking of sensors, Apple also has a kit called HomeKit, aimed at the home automation market, which is a very hot and growing segment of the connected devices and appliances space. Just visit any Home Depot store in the US and you can see the growing array of smart home technologies. Big brand early leaders and innovators in this segment include Nest—acquired by Google recently—and Phillips Hue and several others.
This leads one to speculate that the big mysterious all white structure Apple has purpose-built for tomorrow is actually a container for holding a home, store and a gym that can be dedicated to showcasing how Apple’s new smart watch and new iPhones will be able to revolutionize the shopping experience, the medical health and fitness market, and do something amazing with home automation. The linch pin in all of these three areas is the sensor technology behind it all.
One More Thing: A Runway Perhaps?
But one must not forget that Apple has pulled many a surprising rabbits out of its hat before. Could the nearly mythical AppleTV finally arrive? Has Apple designed a special new Mac computer for its 30 year anniversary? Has Apple secretly designed a car and none of us knew? Okay, that last one is a true stretch.
The most likely scenario other than the one mentioned above is that Apple’s mystery structure is actually a large hall for a fashion show. Why a fashion show? Because Apple is entering the wearables market for the first time with its new yet un-named smart watch and its senior vice president of industrial design, Jony Ive has reportedly stated that Switzerland is in trouble. Though it won’t be if their new iWatch looks anything like the concepts shown on AppleInsider’s report page.
But the hall for a fashion show makes a lot of sense. And who better to manage that fashion show than none other than Apple’s newest senior vice president, Angela Ahrendts, former CEO of Burberry?