Apple Inc. (AAPL) has been quite a successful company this year. The company has fired on all cylinders this year. The company came out with a lot of new services and devices throughout the year. The company showed off its first wearable and launched a mobile-payments service. The company even brought a series of updates to its Mac and tablet family as also in its mobile and computer software. Well, talking about a good year we mustn’t forget Apple’s biggest acquisition till date, valued at $3 billion, of Beats-the headphone maker.
With a good performance all round, the analysts expect the good run to continue in 2015. Apple also created history last month by becoming the first company to be valued at $700 million. The analysts are also predicting that the company might soon be valued at trillions. Apple, therefore is certainly going to build on the strong performance that it showed this year, in the next year. The tech giant would also be releasing the long announced and much awaited Apple Watch. Let us look at the possible products and services that the company might release next year.
Apple Watch:
Apple may have shown off the Apple Watch in September, but 2015 will mark the retail launch of the device. The precise timing is unclear, but Apple promises its first wearable will hit the market "early" in the year. The company will have to figure out how best to sell the smartwatch and allow consumers to try it on before they actually make a purchase. The release would also be the first significant one under Cook’s tenure.
The device, which starts at $349, comes in three designs -- the stainless-steel-cased Apple Watch, the aluminum-cased Apple Watch Sport, and the 18-karat-gold-cased Apple Watch Edition. The devices must be paired with an iPhone, and are compatible with the iPhone 5, 5C, 5S, 6 and 6 Plus. Cook, introducing the Apple Watch, called the smartwatch a "breakthrough" product.
A Bigger And Revamped iPad Pro:
Apple's iPad line has been struggling in recent months, with sales dropping three quarters in a row. Tech research firm IDC in November said the worldwide tablet market likely saw a massive fall in growth, with year-over-year tablet growth slowing to 7.2 percent from 53 percent in 2013. A big reason for that is what's expected to be the first full calendar year of declines for Apple iPad shipments.
For Apple, introducing a bigger screen could attract a whole different range of customers, particularly business users. That's one area Apple has been targeting through its new partnership with IBM and a segment it's counting on to boost iPad sales. Having a bigger screen iPad, particularly if it has accessories like detachable keyboards, could allow people to truly replace their computers with a tablet. The device is expected to sport a 12.9-inch display, putting it more in line with Mac computers than Apple's tablets, which currently top out at 9.7 inches. MacBook Airs come with screen sizes of 11 and 13 inches, and MacBook Pros are 13 inches and 15 inches.
Launching Apple Pay, HomeKit, HealthKit and other services:
Apple unveiled two new initiatives, called HealthKit and HomeKit. HealthKit, which became available in September, serves as a data repository for health-related information, such as how many steps a person takes and how much a person eats. Other apps can draw from that information and send data collected on their apps back to HealthKit. HomeKit provides a similar service for the smart home. When it launches, presumably in early 2015, it will allow developers to integrate controls for door locking, light dimming and other home automation gadgets and features in iOS apps.
The company aims to expand the Apple ecosystem with the launch of Apple Pay, HealthKit and HomeKit. One of the key benefits Apple has had over rivals is the fact it controls hardware, software and services. That allows the company to tightly integrate software on its devices and better control the experience users have. This year marked the introduction of several new services for Apple device users, including Apple Pay, which allows users to pay for items in apps or in stores using their new iPhones and iPads.
Retina MacBook Air:
Computer sales have faltered over the past couple years, but Apple has been bucking that trend. The company posted its highest ever share of the US computer market in the September quarter, coming in at the No. 5 position, according to IDC, with shipments of 5.5 million units. Analysts say the MacBook Air, which comes with 11- and 13-inch models and starts at $899, is the laptop that's helped the company reach new market share highs.
To Conclude:
Apple and other high-profile tech companies sold 4,000 smartphone patents for $900 million to a clearinghouse, the patents' new owner announced on Tuesday, in an effort to put a long-fought courtroom battle behind them.
The Apple-led Rockstar Consortium -- which includes Microsoft, BlackBerry, Ericsson and Sony -- sold the patents, initially purchased for $4.5 billion four years ago, to the San Francisco-based RPX Corp. The deal is expected to end a series of lawsuits -- which effectively pitted Rockstar against smartphone makers who developed Android phones -- around patents for some basic smartphone technology, including navigating through documents, data networking and Internet access. All in all, the next year would be really big for Apple. With so many releases lined for the coming fiscal, AAPL might just be “The Big Thing” of 2015.
