Apple’s October 30 event is just a few days away now. Nearly everything there is to know about the occasion has gotten leaked already, but there’s still room for more speculation.
Bloomberg (via The Verge) is here with a new article about the Apple Special Event. The theme of the launch is creativity and making stuff, because that’s what the company wants you to do with its new iPads and MacBooks. It’s arming the former with a brand new Pencil to do this, while the latter is finally getting the Air refresh it desperately needs.
iPad Pro Changes
As per people familiar with the matter, the new iPad Pro line will boast of nearly edge-to-edge screens with thinner bezels than ever before. There won’t be a notch at the top. The Lightning port is being dumped in favour of a fast charging USB-C connector. You won’t be able to charge your iPhone and your iPad with the same cable as a result.
Face ID might be making its iPad debut, bringing Animoji and Memoji along for the ride. Apple is seemingly making a special concession for the tablet. Not only will it work in portrait orientation, like the iPhone, but it’ll also unlock in landscape. iPhone users have been asking for this as well, but the brand hasn’t allowed this yet.
Also See: Apple gets second patent for foldable iPhone
Apple is reportedly sticking to LCD screens rather than more expensive OLED ones for the iPad Pro. This might have jacked up the price to unreasonable heights, so the decision makes sense in that light. The device is apparently going to resemble the squared-off design of the iPhone 5/5S/SE rather than modern iPhones.
Under the hood, the iPad Pro might feature a faster cousin of the A12 chip found inside the iPhone XS series. Plus, there could be a custom Apple graphics chip specially made for the iPad. All-in-all, the company is clearly trying to distinguish the tablet for the handset.
It doesn’t look like the new MacBook Air is going to go through as many changes, but any shake-up is better than no shake-up. It’s still not clear whether it’s actually going to be called the Air or grab a new name entirely. What we do know is that it’ll have a high-resolution 13-inch screen and narrower bezels.
The other big news is the return of the Mac mini. It’s been 4 long years since the PC was last updated. Apple is introducing new processors and features to attract power users. Other possible hardware launches include the iMac, iMac Pro, and 12-inch MacBook.