It isn’t quite the end of January yet, but at least one analyst believes Apple is going to have a very busy first half of the year.
According to legendary Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is going to launch a whole bunch of new products sometime in early 2020. That includes plenty of oft-rumored devices like “AirTags”, the Tile-like tracking device, new iPads and Macs, “high-end headphones”, and even a “small charging mat”. A 4.7-inch iPhone (you know, the “iPhone 9”) could also be included in the grouping.
Here’s part of the research note, as seen by MacRumors:
We forecast that Apple’s major new hardware products in 1H20 include the 4.7-inch LCD iPhone, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro/Air, smaller wireless charging mat, UWB tag, and a high-end Bluetooth headphone.
Details are still coming in, but here’s the major bullet points so far:
- AirTags or “Ultra Wideband Tags”: These are the oft-rumored tracking device with the Apple logo on it, what’s been widely called “AirTags” up to this point. Kuo’s research note doesn’t include a name or anything, but the analyst believes they will feature Ultra Wideband technology for even more accurate location tracking.
- New iPad Pro: Kuo believes we’ll see new iPad Pro models in the first half of 2020, each of which will include three rear cameras that support 3D sensing for AR features. Could be unveiled in March.
- 4.7-inch iPhone (maybe the “iPhone 9” or “iPhone SE 2”): This is the rumored low-cost iPhone that has been rumored to be called the “iPhone SE 2” or “iPhone 9”. It will probably feature a 4.7-inch LCD display, an A13 Bionic processor, a single camera on the back, and a Touch ID Home button on the front of the handset. It could start at $399 in the United States.
- New MacBook Pro and/or MacBook Air: The research note suggests we’ll see a new portable Mac at some point in the early stages of 2020, either a MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air, or maybe even both. That means we could see a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a scissor switch style keyboard, or a new MacBook Air with the new keyboard design.
- High-end headphones: These will support Bluetooth, according to Kuo, and that’s about all we have to go on here. However, just like the other products in this report, there have been plenty of rumors regarding this device. We’ve previously heard that Apple is planning to launch a pair of over-ear headphones with Apple branding, and it certainly sounds like that’s what Kuo is hinting at here.
- Smaller wireless charging mat: This could be Apple’s change of plans after canceling AirPower, its wireless charging mat. Kuo believes Apple is going to launch a “smaller” option here, which could compensate for the heat issues that Apple reportedly ran into the first time around.
Kuo also has a comment on the coronavirus and its potential impact on Apple and its supply partners’ manufacturing:
If there are no significant improvements regarding the coronavirus epidemic in the foreseeable future, we predict that Apple may delay new material adoptions or lower test requirements for components to shorten qualification processes and launch new products in 2H20 on schedule, and the lower spec will likely hurt the ASP of materials or components.
So, that’s a lot! Will Apple space these launches out? It’s possible. Or we could see an event sometime in early March where all of these products (and maybe even more) get unveiled.
Which of these devices are you looking forward to?
This story is developing…