New Apple iPads in 2021, says KGI analyst

As if it wasn’t enough that we’re waiting for the next wave of iPhones this September, one analyst predicts that Apple will also introduce new Apple iPads in 2021.

That’s according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicts the company’s newest tablet will look very different from anything we’ve seen before, specifically a single, larger screen, as well as a facial recognition camera and a high-resolution display.

Apple has historically been light on major hardware releases after the release of a new iPhone, but we could be seeing a shift towards releasing multiple iPads per year in the next few years.

Kuo predicts the Apple Pencil will also adopt NFC, allowing for wireless charging. So far, the only other thing we know about the iPad Pro is that Apple will drop the lightning port in favor of USB-C.

A 13-inch iPhone?

While it may not be as exciting as a single, iPad Pro-sized screen or facial recognition, Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple could launch a new, full-sized iPhone in 2019.

This is a pretty big claim, as iPhones released in previous years haven’t deviated much from the form factor of the previous one. The iPhone X was similar to the iPhone 7, with the addition of facial recognition, and the iPhone 8 was virtually the same as the iPhone 7.

If we’re looking at a true one-to-one “S” upgrade in 2019, that would put us at the release of the iPhone 11, which is rumored to be 5.8 inches of everything the iPhone X has, with an additional 0.1 inches to account for the screen.

Kuo predicts the iPhone 11 will have a triple-lens camera. With Apple getting the jump on the Huawei P20 Pro, this could be the next best thing to a more premium iPhone X.

Even if we see a change in the iPhone 11, we might not see a “plus” model of the iPhone X this year, Kuo adds. The iPhone XS Max, a 5.8-inch iPhone X with an upgraded A12 processor, is in line for release in September.

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Kuo believes the next generation of iPhones will follow a three-year development cycle, with the 2019 version of the iPhone X that will be announced in September using the A12 processor.

If this prediction is to be believed, the biggest iOS feature that won’t be in the new iPhones will be augmented reality. But we’ll probably see the tech in the new iPhones running iOS 13, which is rumored to be available next year.

We also shouldn’t expect to see any new iPhone models released in August. While Apple has done this in the past, it’s become increasingly rare. The new iPhone 5 was announced at a press conference in early September 2012.

One thing we do know about the iPhone 11 is that it will feature a triple-lens camera. Apple is already selling the iPhone 8 Plus, which has the same camera as the 8 and features all of the hardware needed to shoot three photos at once. Further, now the iMovie software is available on both iPads and iMovie for Windows.

Via Cult of Mac

We still haven’t heard much about what Apple has planned for AR in the future, but we know it’s a big focus for the company, even if it doesn’t use the term.

In a leaked video from the Chinese e-commerce site JD.com, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed he’s been obsessed with AR technology for some time, and this has played a role in Apple’s increased focus on AR in the past year.

The short clip Cook featured on the JD.com webpage shows what Cook described as an AR “kit,” which is supposedly part of the iPhone XS. “It’s coming,” Cook says. “Don’t ask me what it is, but it is coming. Very soon.”

Reports from earlier this year, however, point to Apple’s biggest selling point for the upcoming iPhone XS Max being the TrueDepth camera. The TrueDepth camera makes the iPhone X, 8 Plus and XR all capable of creating more advanced Face ID features. It also gives Apple access to 3D models and associated scans for augmented reality projects.

In a Bloomberg article last month, Bob O’Donnell, an analyst with TECHnalysis Research, wrote, “Apple is still positioning the iPhone XS Max and lower-priced iPhone XR as the entry point for augmented reality — even though AR apps have been in the wild since 2012 and iPhone X didn’t launch with any AR capabilities.

“If Apple could convince customers to pay more for AR apps, that would be a real benefit to its AR strategy.”

Because Apple isn’t using the term augmented reality, doesn’t mean it isn’t working on the technology or is stopping work on the software to allow for it. Apple isn’t giving any further details on the iPhone XS and XS Max as of yet, but it did reveal a number of features it’s working on.