iPhone 6S, Smartwatch: What You Can Expect from Apple in 2015

By Don Reisinger

Apple has promised it, so we should believe it: Apple Watch is coming toward the early part of 2015. There is some debate on exactly when the Apple Watch will launch, with some reports suggesting it could be as late as the spring. Whatever the case, Apple Watch is coming with some neat features, including the ability to read and respond to notifications, which should entice many customers to spend cash on the device.

If one were to examine Apple’s past, he or she would discover that the company likes to make major updates every other year. Since 2014 was a major update year, 2015 will likely be a smaller update with some internal component upgrades but no real modifications to the design. Expect the iPhone 6S to hit store shelves in 2015.

Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple is working on a larger iPad it’s calling the iPad Pro, but so far, that hasn’t come to fruition. Now the rumor mill said that the launch will happen next year. That seems like a good bet, given Apple’s relatively minor updates to the iPads this year. Expect the iPad Pro to come with a 12.9-inch screen and run iOS.

One of the big refrains from Apple over the last couple of years has been its environmental friendliness. In fact, the company has dedicated pages on its Website pointing to how environmentally friendly its products are. In 2015, that talk could rise even more as Apple brings more solar farms online and starts to invest heavily in technologies like sapphire displays that could be more environmentally friendly than what it’s using right now.

After Apple launched its partnership with IBM earlier this year, the company remained relatively silent on its plans for the corporate world. However, reports surfaced recently that Apple was indeed working hard at wooing corporate customers and would announce similar software partnerships with other major companies in 2015. Look for the enterprise to be a core focus of Apple next year.

Some might say that the updates made to iOS 8 were necessary, though not necessarily major. A key reason for that is iOS 7 was such a major upgrade that overhauled the look and feel of the operating system. Now Apple appears focused on making smaller changes that positively impact the user experience. With iOS 9 guaranteed to be launching next year, there seems to be a good chance that the update will be small (but important) in nature.

In addition to iOS, Apple is unlikely to make any major upgrades to OS X. As those who have downloaded Yosemite know, the latest installment of Apple’s desktop operating system is one that comes with a completely overhauled look and feel. Realizing that, it’s unlikely that Apple will go too much out of its way to dramatically change the next version of OS X. Instead, expect the company to make some functionality and feature tweaks without overhauling its look and feel.

Beats Music, the streaming-music service Apple acquired as part of its Beats acquisition earlier this year, is slated for a major change, according to reports. It’s possible that in the new year, Apple will change the service’s name, modify some of its functionality and make it part of a broader music push in iTunes. Beats Music as we know it now might be totally different in just a few short months.

It’s been sought-after by many consumers for a very long time, but the Apple TV upgrade that would put it in better competition with the Amazon Fire TV and Roku has yet to launch. Realizing that, it’s possible that 2015 could finally be the year that Apple shows off its new and improved Apple TV set-top box. The latest rumors say that Apple could improve its power, make it available to App Store developers and maybe even get into original content.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview recently that his company is working on several products that don’t necessarily fall under its current product categories but could eventually make their way to the public. He didn’t go any further than that, but it was enough to stir up speculation that Apple is planning a surprise in 2015. Could it be something on home automation? Could it be a device, like the Nest, that improves energy efficiency? Anything is possible, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.