Last month, various reports claimed that Apple would host a virtual press event in the second half of March, where the new iPad Pro and other product updates would be announced. Apple never confirmed the event, prompting leakers to say that the keynote had been postponed to April. The iPhone maker is still expected to launch new products this month, with the iPad Pro refresh supposed to bring over an exciting display tech upgrade. It’s unclear whether Apple will host a press conference for its spring lineup or whether the company would just launch the new devices via traditional press releases. With nearly half of April gone, Apple has not sent out any press invites for an upcoming press event. But Siri was just caught saying that the next keynote is scheduled for April 20th.
The novel coronavirus pandemic is still raging, making in-person press events unlikely for the foreseeable future. Apple already confirmed that WWDC 2021 will be a virtual event in June for the second year in a row, so any keynote in between would also be of the online-only variety. Unlike in-person events that require travel planning, virtual events are streamed online, and anybody can attend — all of Apple’s in-person press conferences are also streamed online. With that in mind, Apple wouldn’t need to give the media too much notice ahead of a virtual announcement.
That makes Siri’s revelation all the more surprising. MacRumors was first to report that Siri returned an April 20th event date when asked “When is the next Apple Event:”
The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. You can get all the details on Apple.com.
Others were able to verify the response, but then Siri’s answer changed, directing users to Apple’s event page to learn more details about potential press conferences.
We’re precisely one week away from April 20th, so Apple could send press invites on Tuesday, confirming Siri’s “leak.” Apple usually chooses Tuesdays for its press announcements, and April 20th would qualify. Then again, Siri might have made a mistake. Either way, Siri’s disclosure needed a correction. The assistant shouldn’t leak Apple news before the company is ready to release it and should not misinform users if there’s no virtual keynote scheduled for next week.
There is one reason for Apple to want to hold a press event this spring, and that’s the new mini-LED screen technology that’s ready to make it to commercial devices. Apple has been developing the technology for a few years, and mini-LED screens should equip tablets and laptops in the near future. The first device to get a mini-LED screen is the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro that’s supposed to launch this month alongside a regular LCD 11-inch iPad Pro refresh.
Mini-LED will bring over several display performance improvements, according to various reports. The new screen tech uses tiny LEDs that light up independently. The screens will support better brightness and better contrast ratios. The mini-LED screens could rival the OLED panels used on iPhone.
This sort of display upgrade warrants a press event where Apple engineers would explain all the technological advancements that allowed them to bring mini-LED screens to a commercial product. A press release and a specialized iPad Pro webpage on Apple’s site wouldn’t do the tech justice. But that’s just speculation at this point. Hopefully, Apple will clear the waters by the end of the day.
UPDATE: Apple on Tuesday confirmed the April 20th event, issuing invites to the media. The event will be streamed online just as Siri had told us.
