The Apple Inc. (ticker: AAPL) 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off on June 5, and investors will be looking for any hints about possible iPhone 8 features.
The 10-year anniversary iPhone model is expected out later this year, but Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster says investors hoping for a preview of new iPhone technology at WWDC will likely be disappointed.
Apple is expected to reveal its new iOS 11 operating system at WWDC. However, one of the biggest unknowns heading into the event is what, if anything, investors will be able to deduce about potential iPhone 8 augmented reality features from the new operating system.
“While we’re confident in the addition of AR features in the next phone, we don’t expect Apple to reveal new AR-related iPhone features when it introduces iOS 11 at WWDC,” Munster wrote last week.
Apple investors and customers are zeroing in on the iPhone as the biggest Apple story of the year, but Apple may also take the chance to unveil a new Siri Home Assistant to compete with the Amazon.com ( AMZN) Echo and Alphabet Inc ( GOOG, GOOGL) Google Home.
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In addition to a new home assistant, Apple may also unveil MacBook Pros featuring the latest Intel Corp. ( INTC) processors, Munster says.
Finally, there’s an outside chance Apple could release a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro that would fall between the sizes of the current 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch models.
Loup estimates the chances of a home assistant release at WWDC at 60 percent, a MacBook Pro update at 50 percent and a 10.5-inch iPad release at just 10 percent.
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Tech enthusiasts enjoy all of Apple’s new gadgets, but the fate of Apple’s stock is tied closely to the iPhone. A recent Loup survey revealed that 23 percent of iPhone users intend to upgrade to the new model compared to only 15 percent that intended to upgrade to an iPhone 7 a year ago.
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Apple Inc. (AAPL) Investors Watching for iPhone 8 Hints at WWDC originally appeared on usnews.com
