Rumors about upcoming iPhones, iPads, and iOS 13

Bloomberg has published an article that says, among other things, Apple is testing a triple camera system for iOS 2019 iPhones, new low-end iPads are coming soon, an updated iPhone Xr is in the works, and iOS 13 will sport a dark mode a la macOS Mojave.

The article says that the tech giant’s upcoming iPhones, or at least some of them, will pack more powerful, 3D cameras to supplement the company’s augmented reality plans. This makes sense and lines up with earlier rumors. Purportedly, the smartphone camera will have a 6P lens design with 5x zoom.

Bloomberg says a next gen iPad mini and the follow-up to the 9.7-inch iPad might arrive this spring. Both will reportedly support the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. And the latter will get a slightly bigger screen of 10 inches. I’ve been dubious (and still am) that the iPad mini would ever be updated, but the rumor mill is abuzz about this. Where there’s smoke, there may be fire….

Per Bloomberg, iOS 13 will include a dark mode to allow for “easier nighttime viewing,” as well as CarPlay improvements, and iPad-specific features. The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) gives these statements a 100% chance of coming true. 

Finally, Bloomberg says that 2020 iPad Pros will add a laser-powered 3D camera for AR purposes, but that may be no update to the pro tablet line at all this year. The article is probably right about the 2020 tablets, but Apple will definitely release a spec-updated iPad Pro this year, IMHO.