Apple’s occasion welcome, which was sent out to press reporters, recommends the launch might be about the Apple Watch.
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This story becomes part of Apple Event, our complete protection of the most recent news from Apple head office.
Apple has actually set the date for its next occasion. The business’s newest gadgets — which will likely consist of the sixth-generation Apple Watch and a brand-new iPad — will be revealed on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. PT. Like Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the occasion will be held totally online amidst ongoing issues about the coronavirus pandemic. Apple’s occasion will be streamed through its site.
Apple’s welcome, published on its site, consisted of a variation on its logo design, performed in swirling blue lines that ends up being a little bit of AR hoax. When seen on an iPhone, the Apple welcome logo design morphs into the occasion’s date: 9.15. The welcome sent out to press reporters consisted of another idea — the expression “Time Flies.” That mean the occasion concentrating on the Apple Watch, the tech giant’s popular wearable, rather of the very first 5G iPhone.
Apple normally holds a fancy item launch in September to flaunt its most recent iPhones. The Apple Watch, iPad and other gadgets normally take a rear seats to Apple’s crucial smart device, and the business sometimes holds another occasion in October for its iPads and Macs.
This time around, though, Apple likely will concentrate on its wearable and tablet for its Sept. 15 occasion. Apple has stated its most recent iPhones, which will sport super-fast 5G connection, will be postponed “by a few weeks” this year since of production concerns connected to the coronavirus pandemic. It’s most likely the brand-new iPhones will get here in October, and Apple will hold a brand-new occasion at that time to concentrate on its phones.
While the bulk of Apple’s profits still originates from the iPhone, the business has actually been diversifying its operations. The Apple Watch was its very first significant brand-new classification under CEO Tim Cook, and because that time, it’s taken control of the watch market. Instead of placing the Apple Watch as a high-end product, Apple has actually moved focus to highlight fitness and health functions developed into the watch, components that are especially crucial to users as the world comes to grips with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the Apple Watch outsold the whole Swiss view market by a big margin, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple delivered an approximated 31 million systems in 2019, while all Swiss view brand names integrated represented 21 million deliveries, the research study company stated.
At the very same time, Apple’s iPads and Macs have actually remained in high need as customers work and go to school in the house throughout the pandemic. Thirteen out of the nation’s 15 most significant school districts are holding virtual classes this fall, and gadgets for trainees have actually been dealing with high shipping hold-ups. Apple’s brand-new iPad, likely a midrange iPad Air, might include a bigger display screen and Touch ID. It would not be as costly as Apple’s high-end Pro lineup however would have a great deal of the feel and efficiency of the more expensive gadgets.
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This fall’s Apple product lineup is expected to touch off a wave of upgrade purchases, analysts say, with fans eyeing the iPhone’s rumored new 5G capabilities and its new boxier look, similar to that of the iPad Pro. Flashier rivals — such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 2 5G, with its foldable display, or Microsoft’s Surface Duo, with two screens sandwiched together — offer new spins on the standard metal-and-glass smartphone construction.
But perhaps the biggest standout of Apple’s product lineup in late 2020 may be its newest computer, which will be the first device powered by what the company calls Apple Silicon, or its own microprocessing chip.
The company hasn’t shared many details about its newest computers, which will replace the Intel processors Apple’s relied on for 14 years with chips similar to the ones powering its iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs. Apple said it’ll continue to sell Intel-powered computers for now, but it’s clear where the company is headed.
“Hardware and software is fundamental to everything we do,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said when announcing the effort this summer. “It will take Mac to the next level.”
It also appears there’s an augmented reality component to Apple’s event on Sept. 15, based on the interactive invitation.
AR could provide Apple with a way to show people its new devices without having to be there in person. Tech companies have been trying to figure out the best way to hold virtual demo rooms, a key part of any product launch. Last week, Samsung released a gamified tour of a digital home with its new devices.
Apple has been pushing AR over the past several years. The most notable example is the popularity of the Pokemon Go game on its iPhones. The company also has been working on AR and VR goggles, but it’s unlikely to launch the device in September.
Apple’s augmented reality aspirations have always been driven by apps and services, and education has been an AR goal on the iPad for years. An upgraded processor on an iPad Air could help enable Apple’s latest ARKit features, and a larger screen could take advantage of some of the bigger-canvas ideas that exist now on the iPad Pro. It’s unlikely that a new Air would have the Pro’s depth-sensing Lidar sensor, however.
CNET’s Scott Stein contributed to this report.
