iHopes: Will Apple Inc reveal the next big thing this week?

Apple is poised to reveal its next big thing in a crucial attempt to prove its technological tastemakers still have the power to mesmerise the masses. The trend-setting company is expected to rouse the still-slumbering market for wearable computers with a smartwatch or bracelet equipped to monitor health, help manage homes and even buy merchandise. Apple is a late arrival to this relatively new niche: several other companies already sell smartwatches that are being greeted with widespread indifference.

It means more to us to get it right than to be first.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking to analysts earlier this year

If any company can transform the landscape, it’s likely to be Apple after the company shifted the direction of digital technology with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Other MP3 music players, smartphones and tablet computers were first to market, but the devices didn’t enthrall consumers until Apple imbued them with a sense of elegance, convenience and wizardry. Rumours have been swirling that U2, one of Jobs’ favourite musical groups, will perform live to promote its new album, as well as Apple’s latest gadgetry, which is likely to include an iPhone with a larger screen. Apple’s event will be held in the Silicon Valley auditorium where its late co-founder, Steve Jobs, unveiled the industry-shifting Mac 25 years ago.

The location suggests this will be a historic event and the historic aspect will be their movement into a new category.

Technology analyst and longtime Apple watcher Tim Bajarin

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