TheChek News Flow

- Link to live webcast: {http://www.apple.com/live/}

- The iPhone 6 will be available in two screen sizes (4.7 inches and 5.5 inches) and may also be priced higher than previously (current iPhone 5S is priced at $199 with a two-year contract or $649 without a contract). Screen size will not be the only feature to grow in size: storage at the high end of the range may be doubled to 128 GB and the phones may have substantially larger batteries, given the larger form factors. 

- Announcement of the iWatch product is expected today but very little has been leaked about its feature set or form factor. There have been a variety of smart watch devices rolled out by competitors but none have sold especially well. In a recent interview, chief Apple designer warned that the new product should make Switzerland very, very worried. Analysts do not expect the device to ship until next year.

- A refresh of the iPad line could be part of the event today, featuring possible new styling, although no major changes in form factor are expected by analysts. Note there was talk recently about a new, even larger model of up to 12 that could be launched in the future. 

- Perhaps the biggest anticipated development to be announced today will be Apple's new mobile payment system, which promises to become a central feature of both the iWatch and the iPhone system. It may feature a new authentication system based on the Touch ID fingerprint scanner that was introduced in the iPhone 5S and may also utilize a near-field communications (NFC) chip built into the iWatch and iPhone devices (NXPI is leveraged to the pay by touch functionality). Apple has reportedly established relationships with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to support the payments system, and representatives of several banks will reportedly be present today.

- At the WWDC conference, Apple unveiled a new health platform, HealthKit, which allows users to keep track of their health stats from different apps all in one place. Health tracking is expected to be another major new feature of the iPhone and iWatch devices. Another possible new feature to watch for is wireless charging (IDTI leveraged to this feature). Reportedly the Mayo Clinic and Apple have been working together for two years to refine the health monitoring system, which may be heavily featured on the iWatch product.

- The material used for the screen of the new devices has been a source of constant speculation. There were many reports earlier this year that the screen would feature highly scratch resistant sapphire glass made by GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT), however more recent rumors suggest it will not have a sapphire screen due to trouble producing the new technology. Alternatively, sapphire glass may be used in the iWatch alone. The iPhone 6 is expected to feature Gorilla Glass 3 (GLW).

- The company will launch a new mobile operating system, iOS 8, for both iPhone and iPad. It will also launch a new operating system for the Mac, OS X Yosemite. Both were previewed at the WWDC developer day in June. Expect updates to iCloud following the recent celebrity photos debacle, as well as new features for both the HealthKit and HomeKit smart home management framework.