And although we're not expecting any announcements on the scale of the Apple Watch, don't get it twisted: This is still Apple's biggest event of the year.
Starting with the venue, Apple is signaling big announcements from this event. Thanks to the plethora of leaks and well-sourced rumors, Wednesday's event should help Apple cap off a massive 2015.
The sure bet: iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
Last year, Apple capitulated to market demands, releasing the big-screen iPhone 6 Plus alongside the iPhone 6. It's difficult to understate how successful these phones have been for Apple, with the company selling more iPhone devices than ever before.
The bigger screens of the current iPhones have resonated with customers around the world, especially in that all-important China smartphone market.
This is a "tock" year in Apple parlance — which means we're not going to see any major changes to the overall design when we finally see the 4.7-inch iPhone 6S or the 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus.
In fact, like the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S, the outward appearance of the phone will likely be indistinguishable from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Faster processor
What will be different is what's on the inside. In addition to a new A9 chip which will offer big increases in speed and graphics, we're also expecting Apple to quietly increase the amount of RAM in the iPhone from 1GB to 2GB. The company might even add an extra core to the processor, as it did with the iPad Air 2.
Bendgate be damned
In addition to beefier processors, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are expected to use Aluminum 7000, which will make the phone virtually immune to bending (Bendgate begone). There are some trade-offs to using the zinc-fortified super-strong aluminum — for one thing, this stuff is expensive — but the durability benefits outweigh all of that.
Force Touch
The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will almost certainly include Force Touch, the technology Apple uses on the Apple Watch and the trackpad on the MacBook and MacBook Pro.
This has been rumored since March.
The idea behind Force Touch is that the glass knows how hard you're pressing against it
The idea behind Force Touch is that the glass knows how hard you're pressing against it
The idea behind Force Touch is that the glass knows how hard you're pressing against it, and based on that pressure it can show you different things.
On the Apple Watch, Force Touch allows users to change certain settings or access more features on an app. On the trackpad, it can act as the standard "click" mechanism and also invoke special actions.
On the iPhone, Force Touch could change the way apps are launched and favorite features are accessed. It could even create new paradigms for games.
New colors
Sadly, the pink iPhone rumors are probably false. That said, Apple could be outfitting its iPhone lineup with a new rose gold color of anodized aluminum.
Better camera with 4K video
The iPhone has had an 8-megapixel camera for the last few years. And although the camera gets better with each year — and megapixel counts are often inflated — it's time for something new.
We're expecting the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus to have a new 12-megapixel camera. The camera will also reportedly record video in up to 4K.
Of course, a rear-facing camera is only part of the story. Increasingly, more people take photos with the front camera. Thanks, generation selfie.
Apple's FaceTime camera is now rumored to get a bump up to 5 megapixels. That's a big increase over the anemic 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera on the current phones.
Same storage tiers
As much as we want Apple to finally abandon the 16GB storage model, it looks like the company wil continue to offer 16, 64 and 128GB capacity phones.
Frankly, this is one area we hope the rumors are wrong. Apple should step up, abandon 16GB for its flagship devices and start out at 32GB — especially if they expect users to shoot 4K video.
Easy money: iOS 9 and El Capitan release dates
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iOS 9 will ship on the new iPhone devices but it will also be available to users on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 and up.
There are a ton of new features in iOS 9, but most are focused on making the ore iOS experience better. To that end, there is a new Low Power mode for making battery life better, big improvements to Siri and Spotlight and a big upgrade to Apple Maps.
As for El Capitan, this version of OS X is again of the Snow Leopard variety — fixing stuff that didn't work as well rather than focusing on new features. The end result should be better computing on the devices you already know.
We expect iOS 9 to get released sometime next week — a few days before the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 Plus go on sale.
Apple TV Gets Real
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It's been three and a half years since Apple last updated the Apple TV.
In that time, the Apple TV has lost market share to other streaming devices such as Roku andChromecast.
Moreover, the ecosystem and interface of the Apple TV are starting to feel stale and out of place.
That's going to change on Wednesday. Apple is finally going to unveil a new Apple TV, replete with updated interface, better hardware, game support, support for Siri and maybe even gestures.
The amount of rumors and leaks coming out about the Apple TV suggests this will be one of the biggest areas Apple focuses on, after the iPhone.
The new Apple TV is expected to have an A8 processor (the same as what's inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus). This is a big deal because it means that it'll be able to run real apps. And because the Apple TV is powered by a wall socket and not a battery, it has the ability to use that power in even more ways.
Games and apps
In addition to the processor, Apple is reportedly finally ready to open up the Apple TV up to other developers — namely, game developers.
Apple's new Twitter account for games suggests a growing focus on gaming.
When it comes to mobile gaming, iOS is king.
When it comes to mobile gaming, iOS is king.
Taking that experience and bringing it to the TV — if done correctly — could be a big deal. Yes, Google, Amazon and Ouya have tried to bring mobile games to the big screen — and have largely failed — but past failures of its competitors have never stopped Apple before.
Gaming on the Apple TV is something game developers have wanted for a long time and with beefy hardware, the Apple TV could do double-duty as a casual console.
On that level, we're expecting Apple to announce some form of controller for the Apple TV — whether stand-alone or an evolution of the controllers that already exist for the iPhone.
Siri and gestures
Apple is adding Siri to everything these days. It just makes sense that it come to the Apple TV. Siri will reportedly play a big role in how to navigate around the Apple TV.
Talking to the Apple TV — whether it's through a remote, your phone (or Apple Watch) or just yelling at the TV — can bring up apps, games or content.
We also expect this kind of Siri integration to play a role in HomeKit as that continues to get rolled out.
In addition to voice controls via Siri, the Apple TV remote is rumored to support gestures, similar to the gyroscope in the iPhone. The idea could be that twisting the remote a certain way could fast-forward or rewind.
Pricing
The new Apple TV isn't expected to compete with the sub-$50 pricing of the Chromecast for FireTV stick. Instead, Apple is expected to launch the Apple TV for $149. This could be pricey for some — but if it includes voice search, an A8 processor, gesture-driven controls and game support — it could be worth it.
TV Service
We're not expecting Apple to unveil its long-rumored streaming bundle at Wednesday's event. It's an open secret that Apple is courting big content makers to put together a Sling TV-like bundle of subscription video content.
But negotiating for those contracts is hard work. The idea will likely be that once the i's are dotted and t's are crossed, Apple will hold a separate event launching its new subscription service.
Apple Watch updates
At WWDC 2015, Apple announced watchOS 2. Coming less than six months after the release of the Apple Watch, watchOS 2 is a big upgrade.
The biggest new feature is support for native Apple Watch apps. That means that instead of having to tether from the phone to the watch, apps can run directly on the Apple Watch. This is abig deal and we expect Apple to announce new apps from the likes of Facebook and other companies that aren't currently on the Apple Watch.
In some ways, watchOS 2 could be akin to what iPhone OS 2 was for the original iPhone back in 2008.
New bands, new sport color
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Back in April, some new sports band colors for the Apple Watch emerged from Milan. We're expecting Apple to release those new colors — and possible some other bands for the Apple Watch.
Writing as someone who (finally) received my soft pink modern buckle watch band, I think watch bands are going to be an accessory gravy train for Apple. The more bands it can roll out on its own or in partnership with others, the beter.
The other rumor is that Apple will release a rose gold Apple Watch Sport. This model would't be able to compete with the 18-karat rose or yellow gold Apple Watch Edition, but it would provide gold fans a way to get an Apple Watch on their wrist on the cheap(er).
iPad Pro: The wild card
IMAGE: APPLE
Apple is widely expected to release a 12.9-inch iPad, the iPad Pro — geared towards business professionals.
Increasingly, this isn't becoming an "if" but a "when."
Historically, Apple has held separate events for the iPhone and the iPad
Historically, Apple has held separate events for the iPhone and the iPad
Historically, Apple has held separate events for the iPhone and the iPad — usually about a month apart.
There are conflicting reports about whether or not Apple unveils the new iPad Pro — and an updated iPad mini 4 — on Wednesday, or at a separate event in October.
On this week's MashTalk podcast (subscribe to us!), Pete Pachal made a good case for why Apple might just pre-announce the massive iPad early. Basically, it's to end-run Microsoft's upcoming Surface Pro 4 announcement (since the devices would serve a similar market — productivity-focused users on the go).
Still, we're not totally convinced Apple will actually bring out the extra-large iPad during this event. There are enough things to talk about between the iPhone, Apple TV and Apple Watch to fill this event.
Additionally, most reports suggest the new iPad Pro won't be available to order until at least October — which makes us question why it would be announced six weeks early.
We're sure a bigger iPad is coming, we're not convinced we'll see it on Wednesday.
One More Thing
IMAGE: JEFF CHIU/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Apple Music had a big launch earlier this year. We like the service, but it isn't without its growing pains.
Last year, Apple made a rare misstep when it attempted to "give" everyone a copy of U2's latest album. This year, we're expecting an update on Apple Music, Beats1 and how it is resonating with users.
As for that "one more thing?" We're going to say, look out for Apple Music for Android to get shown off on Wednesday
Tune into Mashable to watch it unfold
Lance Ulanoff and myself will be covering the event live from San Francisco and Mashable will be providing live updates on our live blog as well as across Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Periscope and Instagram.
Please join us on Wednesday and let us know what you're most excited to see.
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