This year has been super weird, and this Apple event is no different. In the years of past, this is around the time frame when Apple usually unveils their new iPhone's. However, with Covid-19 causing developmental and production delays it is looking like we won't be seeing the new iPhones until next month.
So you might be asking, what exactly is to come from this event? Well, to be quite honest I don't know entirely. There seem to be 2 products that reporters/leakers unanimously agree will be unveiled, the Apple Watch Series 6 & an updated iPad Air. Beyond that everything is a toss up. Many fans and YouTube creators are still refusing to give up hope that new iPhones will be unveiled today. So here are all the things that have been rumored that I think will, might happen, and definitely won't happen: iPhone 12/12 Pro: A lot of fans are hoping to see the new iPhone's today, but I don't think that will happen. Too many sources are strongly saying that it won't to believe otherwise. Not to mention, Luca Maestri (Apple's CFO) clearly mentioned in a previous earnings call that the iPhones were delayed by "a few weeks". It makes no sense to announce them now if they won't be available to ship within a week or two. We won't be seeing these today.
Apple Watch Series 6: This seems to be one of two things reporters and leakers are certain will be happening. The "time flies" moniker is a big hint too! We were all previously anticipating a site refresh last week, but instead of the refresh we got this event announcement.
This one is happening for sure. Apple Watch "SE" (Replacement for Series 3): This is one that is confusing to me, but seems to be rumored quite heavily. I hadn't heard any rumors of a new lower cost Apple Watch until a few weeks ago. So I am a tiny bit skeptical about this one. The reporting seems to indicate this is for sure happening as well. However the details seem to be few and far in between. I think this one is a strong possibility, but not 100%. iPad (8th generation): The cheapest iPad in the lineup is coming up on 1 year since it's last refresh. It definitely needs an upgrade, especially on the CPU side of things. The current iPad is rocking an A10 chip that's coming up on 4 years old. So a spec bump is definitely required. We haven't heard any real rumors on other changes being made to the iPad. This has a good possibility of showing up today, but could also be delayed to a later event as well. iPad Air 4: This is the other product that reporters and leakers seem to be on the same page about. We should be seeing a redesigned iPad Air today. The redesign is based on the 2018 iPad Pro with a boxier design, and is a much needed change. The 3rd generation came out in March of 2019, so this is definitely due for an upgrade. I am confident we'll be seeing this on stage today. Apple TV (5th generation):
The Apple TV 4K is now 3 years old. It hasn't been updated since 2017, and is definitely been something I've personally been waiting for. The reality is though that Apple doesn't seem to be that interested in Apple TV hardware. A potential upgrade could bring a better processor and hopefully a redesigned remote. All of this is honestly wishful thinking, and we have no idea if we will see this. I don't think we'll be seeing a refresh of this today. HomePod Mini: Ever since the HomePod came out people have been asking for a cheaper and smaller version. The current HomePod has fantastic audio quality, but is very limited in what it can do. It has no physical audio inputs, and Siri still needs to improve in my opinion. A cheaper and smaller HomePod has been rumored for a while now, but we haven't seen anything concrete yet. I am skeptical about this one. I think we may see it today, but I wouldn't put my money on it. AirTags: These have been in the rumor mill ever since the iPhone 11 came out and introduced the new U1 chip. The U1 chip is an ultra-wide band chip that can communicate with other U1 devices and will allow you to track and place objects with impressive accuracy. AirTags are basically Apple's version of Tile Trackers, but with much better tracking abilities. These have been talked about in the rumor circles for a while now, and we recently saw renders based on actual AirTags from Jon Prosser as well. I think this one is a real possibility for today. AirPods Studio: Another product that Apple has been rumored to have been working on for a very long time is over-the-ear headphones. Apple clearly wants to harness the AirPods brand and expand it as much as they can. This is a logical step in the next direction to diversify their product lineup. I don't think we will be seeing these today though. There just hasn't been a lot of leaks or rumors around it like there usually is right before a new Apple product is unveiled. So I'm keeping my mind open.
I think these won't be seen on stage today. Apple Silicone Macs: Finally the Apple Silicone Macs! Apple announced their switch to Apple Silicone from Intel at WWDC this year. Understandably, it has gotten nerds like us very excited to see their first computer with their own chips. There are lots of theories about which form factor will get the Apple Silicone first and when it will be ready to ship. There are rumors that today might be when we see the first one, but I don't think this will be happening. Apple said "end of the year" as their timeline for the first Apple Silicone Computer. End of the year usually means November/December in their book. I don't think we'll see an Apple Silicone computer so early, but I'd loved to be proven wrong on this one. This one won't be happening today. That's it for my round up. I'm excited to watch the event later today. I am very curious to see how many of my guesses turn out to be completely wrong. This post has a ton of "aged like milk" potential. I'm okay with that though, this is an exciting time and I'm just having fun with it! Enjoy the event guys and girls! I'll have a recap video of the even up on my YouTube channel as quickly as possible too! -Ankit