Apple’s got new ‘Pro’ iPhones, updated iPads, and a larger MacBook Pro headed our way
Brett Venter
Apple, if a recent report is to be believed, is readying up quite a roster of new devices for us this year. Bloomberg claims there are new camera-centric iPhones on the way, closely followed by updated iPads as well as a new, 16in MacBook Pro.
The phones aren’t much of a surprise. Apple’s annual smartphone reveal is about as regular as the leaves falling off everything in Johannesburg every autumn. More regular, even, since Apple’s smartphone outing is a whole lot more predictable. We’ve got a decent idea what’s coming to the iPhone roster this September. The date being bandied about for the reveal (though not yet confirmed by Apple) is 10 September. Just by the way.
Going Pro
There’s a little new info from the Bloomberg report, though. Apple’s going to tweak the naming convention to give us new ‘Pro’ branded iPhones, which will replace the iPhone XS and XS Max. There’s a new version of the iPhone XR incoming as well. What sets the Pro versions apart is the addition of a third camera sensor, adding ultra-wide capabilities. There’s a spot of AI-bolstered snapping coming, as well. If you’re a dunce with the lens, Apple’s new devices will help make you look better. Video chops are also being improved, so there’s that.
Nice Pad, man
There are changes afoot for the iPad family, with both the 11in and 12.9in iPad Pro models getting spec upgrades. Better processors, cameras and other internals seem likely, though the design isn’t going to change. You could just claim to have the new one. You’ll only be in trouble if someone decides to call you on it. There’s also a new low-end iPad on the way, a 10.2in model that will see Apple’s old faithful 9.7in form factor fall by the wayside. Allegedly.
Big Mac
Apple’s also apparently working on its biggest Macbook Pro in yonks. That’d be a 16in version of the popular notebook, one that uses the bezel-trimming so popular of late to keep the notebook’s physical dimensions as small as possible. We’re not going to lie, we’d appreciate an extra inch of screen real estate. What we don’t have, in the case of the new MacBook Pro and the iPad updates, is any idea when Apple will actually announce them.
We’ll see new iPhones in just a couple of weeks, with an Apple Watch update or two as well. Apple crowding the lineup with tablets and notebooks would make their September event the busiest we’ve seen in ages. It’s possible that we’re looking at a closer-to-year-end announcement, or perhaps we’ll see these updates appearing very early in 2020. The Bloomberg report seems rather convinced that all of these will be on sale in 2019, though. We’ve got our ears to the ground on this one.
