In a note to clients — as noted by AppleInsider — analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasts that Apple will release updated iPad Pros and new MacBooks (yep, MacBooks, not MacBook Airs) in the first half of 2020, along with an “iPhone SE 2” and the long-anticipated Apple Glasses.
He thinks the next rev of Apple’s pro tablet will come in the same 11-inch and 12.9-inch form factors, but will feature, among other things, a Time of Flight 3D sensor that will aid in augmented reality apps and usage. So does this mean that we’ll see no refresh of the iPad Pro line-up this fall? Almost everyone (including me) felt we’d see ‘em updated with new specs later this month.
Kuo says the MacBook will replace the controversial butterfly keyboard with a scissor mechanism keyboard that will be more durable. I’m assuming he means the 12-inch MacBook. Most folks (again, including me) thought the smallest laptop was gone as Apple streamlined its computer laptop line to simply MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros.
Kuo thinks the iPhone SE 2 will be a budget smartphone (well, at least “budget” by Apple’s standards). He prognosticates that it will have a “form factor design and hardware spec are similar to the iPhone 8,” the A13 processor, and 3GB of RAM.
The Apple Glasses are the name given to the rumored augmented reality head-mounted display that Apple is almost certainly working on. Previous predictions on its release have ranged from early 2020 to 2021.
Kuo is going with the earlier date. He thinks the AR glasses will act as an iPhone accessory in the way the original Apple Watch did with the smartphone providing much of the processing power. The analyst also believes that Apple will partner with unnamed third-party firms to produce what he refers to as “AR helmets” that will arrive next year.
