Now there’s an “Apple Experience” for creators in LA, January 27–29.

Apple Stores in my area show the standard glass + tilt-adjustable stand as available for pickup today in some stores, but it’s unavailable in some larger ones—and the shipping delivery date is January 29. Other configurations show in stock in places, but every shipping estimate I checked is February 17–24.

Not definitive, of course, but the timing lines up well.

Next week’s Apple Experience is for creators. Apple Creator Studio will be part of the story—but would Apple hold an in-person event just to show off software?

It’d be a lot more like Apple to tell the full creator story. New displays (and Macs) are the most Apple way to show and tell it.

My guess: a Studio Display announcement—alongside some new Macs, of course—on Tuesday, January 27, either right before or during the LA event.

It should hit a healthy segment of prosumer-to-pro users who need (or would like) more than the included iWork, iMovie, and GarageBand and are patching together other services. The fact the apps will also be sold as a single purchase should reduce subscription hand-wringing.

Apple has consistently maintained its modern pro apps, but for years they’ve felt like a sideshow rather than a strategy. This is a significant milestone: Apple has named and defined the segment (“Creators”, which are “professionals, emerging artists, entrepreneurs, students, and educators”), expanded the portfolio (via the Pixelmator acquisition), augmented the collection’s capability set, and has implemented a modern monetization model.

From a customer perspective—like subscriptions or not—subscription pricing signals long-term investment. If you care about Apple’s creative tools, this is a good thing.

Selfish ask: Please add to the collection a lighter version of Lightroom (or, heh, dust off Aperture).