AirTags, new MacBooks and iPads with mini LED displays, and possibly Apple Glasses are all planned for Apple next year.
Details of Apple's massive 2021 product plans were gleaned by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) from his contacts in Apple's Asian supply chain.
AirTags, Apple's long-awaited tracking tags, will finally arrive this year. Kuo did not give a specific date, but one report suggests that they could be available in March. When available, these tags will work similar to Tile trackers and other key finders, allowing users to locate lost items with their cell phones.
The main difference between AirTags and Tile, and the rumored Samsung Galaxy SmartTag, is that Apple will use UWB to help locate items. Therefore, it should be more accurate than Bluetooth, and it should also be able to use augmented reality on the iPhone to find things.
The refreshed iPad Pro is another product we've heard about for a long time. This new premium tablet is said to feature a mini LED display when it arrives in the first quarter of this year, but otherwise it looks similar to the 2020 iPad Pro.
The mini-LED is an evolution of the widely used LCD display, which uses smaller LEDs to produce a clearer image with better color reproduction than before. This has significant implications not only for devices with large displays, such as televisions, but also for smaller devices such as tablets and laptops.
In addition, more Apple Silicon MacBooks are expected this year, including new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. These could also feature mini LED displays like the new iPad Pro and, according to other rumors, a new M1X chipset. No release date was mentioned, but based on the release date of the previous generation of MacBook Pro, it is likely that the new laptops will be announced either in May or in October or November.
New products coming this year include the AirPods 3. It could also be called AirPods Pro Lite, which would replace the basic AirPods with wireless earbuds with gel tips like the AirPods Pro, rather than the open-fitting second-generation AirPods. Kuo said in a previous report that he believes these buds will be available in the first half of 2021.
Finally, Kuo said that 2021 will be the year that Apple's first AR device will appear. This could be the Apple Glasses wearable, but Kuo and other sources claim that it will be 2022/3 before we see these launch. Apple may first release Apple Glasses, which rely heavily on the iPhone, before moving to more independent devices.
There is also another possibility of what this unidentified product could be, as an Apple VR headset is also reportedly in development.
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