Apple announced earlier this week the press event we’ve all been waiting for. The “Spring Loaded” press conference will be a virtual keynote, in line with all of Apple’s media events during the pandemic. Apple is expected to launch a few new products at the show, including an iPad Pro model with a screen unlike anything seen on iPads before — or other tablets. Apple will supposedly unveil its own Tile-like tracker that can be used to track objects. Despite that, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in an interview that he doesn’t expect anything “particularly innovative” or “extraordinary” out of the Apple show that will be streamed online next Tuesday.
Gurman is a well-connected leaker who has provided plenty of details about unreleased Apple products in the past few years, including some of the upcoming products. In an interview for Bloomberg Technology, he mentioned the new Apple devices he expects the company to unveil next week.
According to him, Apple will launch two new iPad Pro versions during the event, the direct successors of the current 11-inch and 12.9-inch Pro models. Both devices will feature a much faster processor that’s in line with Apple’s M1 processors inside the Mac, Gurman said. The tablets will also feature an updated port that can sync faster with accessories and monitors. This will likely be a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connector. Finally, new iPads will also feature a “much improved” camera system.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro will get an extra feature, Gurman said. That’s the mini-LED display that’s been in development for years at Apple. Mini-LED screens will feature better contrast ratio and brightness than LCD screens, similar to the OLED panels seen on iPhones. Apple is widely expected to bring mini-LED displays to the Mac line.
Despite that, Gurman said these are more iterative updates rather than extraordinary innovations.
He added that the new iMac will be “a big deal” if it gets launched next week. The new all-in-one desktop will not just offer an upgrade to Apple’s M-series chips. Rumors say it’ll also sport a brand new, more colorful design, complete with larger displays. It’s unclear at this time whether the 2021 iMac will be unveiled during the Spring Loaded event next week or later down the road.
Apple doesn’t hold press events every spring unless the company has something brand new to show off. New technologies, including the AirTags trackers and mini-LED screens, deserve better introductions than a traditional press release announcement. On top of that, Apple is expected to launch iOS 14.5, which will deploy a privacy feature unseen on mobile devices so far. Apps that collect user data will have to ask users for permission before tracking them across apps and services. That’s a feature that Apple might want to demo and explain via a press conference, especially considering the controversy generated around it.
Gurman’s full take on Apple’s event follows below.
