Apple: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Monday's Event

Apple Inc. AAPL is scheduled to hold an event Monday evening, one that in a strange move, is not open to investors.

Ahead Of The Event

Leading up to the event, Apple release a new "Apple Events" app, which can be used to stream Monday's event. The live stream will also be available on Macs, iOS devices and Apple's event website.

The Rumor Mill

According to various rumor trackers such as MacRumors, 9to5Mac and Apple Insider, the move to exclude investors is unusual, and possibly attributable to a lack of faith in management's product launches on behalf of the investors, speculated Global Equities Research Trip Chowdhry.

Related Link: Rumor Roundup: What To Expect From Apple's March 21 Event

Rumors regarding what will happen at the 10 a.m. PT event include a new 4-inch iPhone, a smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro and new bands for the Apple Watch. "The company will likely also reveal the final versions of iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, watchOS 2.2, OS X 10.11.4, and an iTunes update," 9to5Mac surmised.

Analysts Roundup

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster commented that while a new watch and iPad launch "make sense," a 4-inch iPhone may not be the wisest move as it could steal consumer attention away from other products this spring.

Other investors view the event as a "non-event," where whatever happens will not incrementally effect the stock's valuation or outlook for earnings. Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest is among one of those indifferent analysts, "We do not expect the new hardware or software to materially alter our outlook for earnings or our view of the stock."

Related Link: Are Investors Suspicious Of Apple's Next Product Launch?

Rod Hall of JPMorgan expects the event to include a price cut on the 4-inch iPhone. He maintains an Overweight rating on Apple, citing expectations of the new iPhone launch and iPad models.

What To Expect

Below are specific speculations regarding the event unveils.

• 4-Inch iPhone: improved camera, A9 processor, Touch ID, Apple Pay; similar to iPhone 6 and 6s, but smaller
• iPad Air 3: thinner, different color options
• iPad Pro: smaller option a possibility
• Apple Watch: new bands, new band color options
• Brand-Wide Security Features: update on the events that have led up to the encryption disagreement court hearings scheduled to begin Tuesday
• Operating System Updates: Including iOS 9.3