whatbrentsay

  • 5/6

    There's too many Apple products rumored for this year

    • tech
    • apple

    • I spent time last week thinking about the full 2020 iPhone lineup, mostly to get a sense for the price points across all configurations. I made a table to help me.

    iphone models and pricing table

    It appears I was too generous on the iPhone 12 low end, as current rumors are pointing to a $649 starting price for the 5.4" phone.

    Possible mistakes aside, the table left me thinking "that's a lot of phones." I pulled at the thread and did some wading through my favorite sources of Apple rumors--it is, after all, peak iPhone season--with the intention of getting a sense of the entire 2020 portfolio. That exercise left me with two thoughts: one, "that's a lot of products"; two, "there is no way Apple is releasing all of these things in 2020."

    For reference, here's an overview of what the mill has been spinning, along with what has already been released.

    Already released

    • iPad Pro w/ LiDAR camera

      • magic keyboard, too
    • MacBook Air
    • Mac Mini (storage refresh)
    • iPhone SE
    • 13" MacBook Pro w/ magic keyboard

    Rumored releases

    Mac

    • 14" MacBook Pro?*

      • to match the 15" → 16" MacBook Pro refresh
    • 16" MacBook Pro with MiniLED display

    iPhone

    • iPhones 12

      • 5.4" OLED w/ 5G
      • 6.1" OLED w/ 5G

    • iPhones 12 Pro

      • 6.1" OLED w/ 5G + LiDAR camera
      • 6.7" OLED w/5G + LiDAR camera

    iPad

    • iPad with MiniLED display

      • this one's a moving target but keeps coming up
      • I've seen this talked about as a 10" device, as an iPad Mini style device, and as an even higher end iPad Pro
      • the rumors that don't call this a high end device often claim TouchID will be embedded under the screen

    Wearables

    • Apple Watch Series 6

      • sleep tracking, O2 saturationn

    • Over ear bluetooth headphones

      • AirCans? You heard it here first

    • AirPods 3

      • rumors pointing to these being pushed back to next year but being "done" already

    • AirPods Pro Lite?

      • these keep popping up too—AirPods Pro without noise cancellation, I guess? not sure how to reason about these with separate AirPods 3 rumors
      • could be more workout focused—something like PowerBeats—but that could also be a separate product

    Accessories

    • AirTags

      • originally rumored for release last year, leaked by software

    • A totally not AirPower wireless charging mat

      • need something first party to charge that port-less iPhone...

    Other

    • AppleTV

      • also leaked by software
    • HomePod 2

    • HomePod Mini

      • Google Home Mini for Siri if that's what you're into

    Fair warning--everything beyond this point is pure speculation. Speculation's fun, though. Especially in public where you can be wrong forever.

    There's a few locks in the above list; you can bank on the Fall iPhone lineup and the Series 6 Apple Watch. At least one of those other wearables feels likely as well. My money is on the AirCans but mostly because I'm comitted to getting that name to stick. Jokes aside, AirTags have been imminent for six months. I expect they'll be released alongside other products and, since they didn't release near the iPad Pro, I'm guessing we'll see it closer to the next LiDAR camera equipped device(s) in the Fall.

    An updated AppleTV makes sense on paper; it's been 2.5 years since the last version dropped. While it should feel more like a safe bet, I'm on the fence about a HomePod Mini. It's such an obvious product—a baffling omission in the lineup, given the success of Google's Home Mini and Apple's continual assurance that Siri is actually useful. The Home Mini hit the market eleven months after the Home; it's been over two years since the HomePod was released. For that reason alone I want to say a HomePod Mini has to be coming soon but I'm also not sure what Apple's overall strategy is here. Conversely, The HomePod 2 rumors feel like a safe bet. Bring on that price cut.

    The rest feel more like a crapshoot and the rumors are thinner for a lot of them. Apple's just as likely to do something innovative and crazy as they are silly and confusing. I love tech, so I'm always hoping for surprises but we'll see what we get. And likely sooner than later since the existing products will have to start being manufactured to hit Fall/Holiday 2020 releases.

    *I took too long to edit this. Apple just refreshed the 13" MacBook Pro with... another 13" MacBook Pro. Sure, it's got the "new" keyboard but now the Pro laptops don't completely share the same design language—strange. I have to assume a more thorough refresh is still on the horizon but later this year is very unlikely