If there’s one thing that Apple’s most recent earnings report proved, it’s that the company has adeptly managed to create new revenue streams outside of the iPhone. From the company’s increasingly popular line of wearables to continued growth across its suite of services, Apple today has a more diverse product line than ever before.
In light of that, a new research report from reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo sheds some light on what upcoming Apple products — outside of the iPhone 12 — we can look forward to this year. While some releases — such as the iPhone 9 or SE 2 — aren’t new revelations, Apple may have a few surprises in store for us across 2020.
According to Kuo (in a note originally obtained by MacRumors), Apple during the first half of 2020 will release a slew of new and interesting products. As mentioned above, one such product will be a new low-cost iPhone that will share a form factor similar to the iPhone 8. As such, it will feature a 4.7-inch LCD display and will include Touch ID as opposed to Face ID. Apple is expected to launch the device in March with an aggressive price point below $400.
iPhones aside, Apple is also planning to refresh its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineups. Specifically, Kuo points to a 13-inch MacBook Pro with the more reliable scissor-switch keyboard design. It also stands to reason that a new MacBook Air model would incorporate the scissor-switch keyboard design as Apple, thankfully, appears to have abandoned the problematic butterfly keyboard design entirely.
Kuo adds that Apple is also planning to refresh its iPad Pro with a triple-lens camera scheme on the back.
What’s particularly interesting is Kuo’s claim that Apple this year will release a wireless charging mat, which is completely unexpected. Recall, Apple was working on a wireless charging mat dubbed AirPower for years before abandoning the idea due to insurmountable technical hurdles. Kuo notes that Apple’s new wireless charging mat will be smaller, so perhaps it will be less ambitious than the initial incarnation of AirPower.
As for other products we may see from Apple over the next few months, Kuo claims we may see UWB (ultra-wideband) devices previously rumored to be called “AirTags” designed to compete with Tile trackers. And last but not least, Kuo writes that Apple over the next few months will also release a new pair of high-end Bluetooth headphones.
