Techies, regular consumers excited for Apple announcement

CUPERTINO< Calif. (KGO) -- The rumor mill is abuzz over an announcement that's now just hours away. Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone, and perhaps something else on Tuesday in Cupertino.

At the TechCrunch Disrupt Conference, endless rows of entrepreneurs were busy talking about their startups. But they were also talking about something else.

"It's the second, sometimes first subject of conversation with basically everyone I talk to here," said TechCrunch Senior Writer Darrell Etherington.

In just hours, Apple CEO Tim Cook will take the stage at the Flint Center in Cupertino.

Apple Insider posted a drone video of what looks like a giant white box outside the venue. There's speculation it could be a huge demo area for whatever Apple unveils; at the very least, a new iPhone.

Also on Apple Insider, a leaked video shows someone in China may already have one. The most obvious change -- the size.

"The big deal is that we've now had an iPhone with a four inch screen for a couple years, while all other devices have gone higher and continue to go higher," said Etherington.

Indeed, Samsung just unveiled its 5.7-inch Galaxy Note Four. We could see an iPhone that's only a tiny bit smaller. And we could also see something much smaller.

"Recently, it's come out that we're gonna see a wearable," Etherington said. "So people are really excited about that. Especially because we haven't really seen any leaks, that many leaks, about this. We haven't seen parts, we haven't seen design, so it's a total surprise."

While Samsung is deep into smartwatches, Etherington thinks Apple might not call its device a watch at all.

"I think they want to emphasize that it's not just a smartwatch," he said. "Because I think that is not something that's resonated with consumers yet. We haven't seen them go and buy smartwatches."

It would open new doors for countless app developers.

"We're in the remote control space," said Philip Bergqvist with Unified Remote. "And obviously, wearables is really interesting for us."

But it's not just techies who care what Apple announces, Apple has broad appeal with everyday consumers. Just walk into a coffee shop and ask about it.

"Yeah, I'm really excited, really excited," said iPhone owner Kaity Wegen. When asked, why, she said, "I think I'm just eager to see something new from Apple."

And it turns out, so is Wall Street.

"This is gonna be our first real evidence of what Apple is under Tim Cook," Etheringon said. "Without the guiding influence of Steve Jobs,"

Apple hasn't launched a new category of product since Jobs died.

But, just maybe one could be sitting inside that mysterious white box.