New 2018 iPhones, iPad Pros, Macs and more: Everything Apple is expected to announce soon
September approaches and we are preparing for Apple season.
If Apple follows its usual schedule, the company is gearing up for a big event during the first half of September. (Last year, invites for a Sept.12 event were sent on Aug. 31.) And while new iPhones are all but certain to be the headline, nearly all of Apple's other product lines are due for a refresh, too.
The latest credible report on Apple's plans comes from Bloomberg, in a story co-written by Mark Gurman, a journalist with a strong track record on Apple stories. The story reinforces and elaborates on earlier reports, claiming that Apple will debut three new iPhones that utilize the basic iPhone X design (big notched screen, no home button, Face ID), as well as the Apple Watch 4 and new iPad Pros, all of which would be unveiled at the as-yet-unannounced September event.
In addition to those products, Apple is also overdue to refresh its Mac line, though its unclear if new products like a rumored MacBook Air replacement would be announced in September or later.
With so many new Apple products on deck, we've collected all of the reports and rumors herein. Just note that nothing here has been explicitly confirmed unless otherwise indicated -- Apple almost never comments on forthcoming product announcements. With that caveat in place, read on for the lowdown on what we're hearing about new Apple products in the pipeline and when we might see them.
Apple has faithfully announced new iPhones in September since 2012, when it debuted the iPhone 5. And the company has offered two new models -- the "standard" 4.7-inch size and "Plus" 5.5-inch version with a better camera -- since 2014. Last year, it outdid itself with three new models, the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and -- a few weeks later -- the radically redesigned iPhone X. This year, Apple is widely expected to repeat that feat with a trio of totally new models that all follow the X design model: No home button, and nearly all screen.
Here's what we expect to see:
The sequel: The follow up to last year's flagship will likely get a bump in performance, better dual camera and longer battery life, while retaining the same (or similar) 5.8-inch OLED screen.
The big one: Rumor has it that Apple is developing a larger, 6.5-inch version of the iPhone X -- the iPhone X Plus, perhaps -- that could have three rear cameras and cost $1,100 or more. It's possible that Apple Pencil support could be added, too, to compete with Samsung's pro-focused Galaxy Note phones.
The less expensive one: Reported to be the least expensive option of the trio, a 6.1-inch variation will likely have an LCD display and just a single rear camera. But it may not ship until October.
Source: https://www.cnet.com