Roger Fingas
While Apple's WWDC 2018 keynote on June 4 should contain some important announcements, new MacBooks and iPads won't be among them, a report claimed on Thursday.
The company is crafting new models of the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook, as well as a replacement for the MacBook Air, Bloomberg sources said, backing up some earlier rumors. But none of these are expected to ship until later in 2018, even though Apple last refreshed its MacBooks in the same month last year.
The sources added that updated iPad Pros with Face ID are also coming, but they'll likewise miss WWDC despite a prior refresh happening in June 2017.
Software announcements may include "iOS 12" upgrades like an unspecified "Digital Health" initiative, more control over notifications, and the introduction of "ARKit 2.0." The last item will allegedly enable multiplayer gaming in compatible apps.
Apple's rumored efforts at putting iOS apps on Macs may make an appearance, but that's uncertain.
When they do upgrade, at least some MacBooks are expected to shift to Intel's faster Coffee Lake processors, and could even adopt TrueDepth cameras to support Face ID. Upgrades to the Air are less certain, but the laptop is now badly outdated, lacking even a Retina display.
Beyond WWDC, Bloomberg's sources indicated that two new Apple Watches are coming that will retain the same overall size, but switch to slightly bigger edge-to-edge OLED screens. These will presumably arrive in the fall.
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131 Comments
The hell you say! I need a new iPad Pro badly.
I'm kind of disappointed that Apple hasn't updated the iMac since the Core i7 8700K came out last year. That's actually a pretty big CPU upgrade relative to the current model. I'm wondering if Apple is trying to protect iMac Pro sales by dragging its feet on adding the 8700K to the regular iMac.
All in good time, probably waiting for the next iOS update to support the 'pad & the macOS update to support the 'book pro. But then ... what is the 1 hardware item to appear at the WWDC? Surely not the macMini!
Well there you have it...I think its time for Tim to go! /s
If true, this is a huge missed opportunity for Apple. I was planing to buy the new iPad Pro w pencil this month and then the new Apple Watch with Airpods on fall. But getting all new products announcements on fall will me think twice about which devices I will get. It feels less of a punch in your wallet when you get 3+ months between purchases, and I'm sure many people feel the same way...