For the first time in years, Apple Inc is expected to use its annual developers’ conference to tout not just its software, but hardware too.
The iPhone maker is likely to unveil iPads and Mac laptops along with new versions of the operating systems for those devices at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) which started yesterday in San Jose, California, people familiar with the plans said.
Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook is even expected to lift the cover on a “smart” speaker based on the Siri virtual assistant.
It would be the first time Apple has presented new hardware at the conference since 2013.
Cook has for more than a year been showcasing the strength of the company’s services businesses, such as the App Store and iCloud storage, in part a reflection of a dearth of new blockbuster gadgets and slowing growth for Apple’s flagship product, the iPhone.
As the device pipeline fills, the company is shining more of a spotlight on hardware to woo the developers needed to create accompanying apps.
The company is to also try to win over programmers with updates to operating systems for its computers, mobile devices, Apple TV and Watch.
“They’re there to spoil the developer community,” Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross said.
Debuting a “smart” speaker competitor to Amazon.com Inc’s Echo and the Google Home at the conference would be a logical step, since it would give developers the tools to build apps for the device before its release later in the year.
“They may not be able to put enough information into the developer community without showing them the hardware too,” Gartner Inc analyst Brian Blau said. “It will be part of a broader strategy that says these are devices that are interesting now and we need to let our customers know about them.”
Amazon makes little or no profit selling the high-end US$179 Echo, which mostly serves as a foothold in consumers’ homes and a way to get them to sign up for Amazon Prime and buy more products.
Google Home, which sells for US$129, is a window to Google’s plethora of services from Search to YouTube Red music streaming and its Calendar app.
It is not yet clear how much Apple is to charge for its own “smart” speaker, but it might also be a play to boost the profitable services business, which last year generated revenue of more than US$24 billion — 11 percent of total sales.
There is plenty of incentive for developers to get behind the new gadget. So far this year, they have reaped about US$10 billion from the App Store.
The conference follows similar events held by Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google where the software giants sought to burnish their credentials in augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Like Google, Apple has been developing its own dedicated processor for AI, a person familiar with the plan said.
Analysts expect Apple to show off improvements to Siri and advances in AR technology as part of the iOS 11 mobile operating system, which is to hint at features in the next iPhone to be introduced later this year.
“AI will play a larger role with this release by leveraging enhanced capabilities around Siri,” Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White wrote in a note to clients. “Given our view that the 5.8-inch iPhone 8 will come with 3D sensing technology, we expect some AR-related features to be integrated into iOS 11.”
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