The news: Apple’s mixed AR/VR headset “will make it almost impossible for a user to differentiate the virtual world from the real one,” according to Mark Gurman(84.3% accurate).
The wearable device has ultra-high-resolution screens and a cinematic speaker system
Apps primarily focused on gaming and watching videos will be available on a dedicated App Store
Siri will also be present on the headset
Our take: I’ve tried VR a handful of times but have never been impressed yet–I fail to be enthralled in the different world that the tech promises. I think if anybody can do it, it will be Apple. But even then I’m not sold yet.
The news: Just over 10 years after switching away from the iPhoneOS moniker, Apple may be reintroducing it at WWDC this year, according to Jon Prosser (86.7% accurate).
This would align the mobile operating system with every other major platform (ex. macOS, watchOS, tvOS)
iOS 14 is shaping up to be a smaller ‘S’ upgrade, similar to iOS 12
Our take: Shocking, but sensible. When you line every other platform up, there’s one outlier: iOS. Everything old really is new again.
The news: The stock Apple Podcasts app is getting some major upgrades in iOS 14, according to 9to5Mac (85.8% accurate).
“For You” tab coming with personalized recommendations
Introduction of user profiles to follow your friends and vis versa
Creators able to offer bonus content in-app
Our take: Apple’s Podcasts app has certainly lost traction to platforms like Spotify and YouTube over the years. If these are the only new changes this year…I don’t think that’s going to be enough to catch up.
The news: Newly revealed iPhone 12 schematics show a much different device than previously expected, according to EverythingApplePro.
The notch isn’t shrinking (same size as iPhone X)
Tweaked camera layout replicates iPhone 11 Pro design with LiDAR sensor below
LiDAR may now be exclusive to the 6.7-inch model
‘Smart Connector’ area is actually the 5G antenna cutout
Our take: While this is not seemingly the final design, it’s certainly concerning that the notch isn’t any smaller in these fresh CAD files. That was one of the most anticipated upgrades for the iPhone 12 series that I would hate to see not make the cut. Plus, LiDAR only the 6.7-inch model? Doesn’t make sense why Apple would do that.
iPhone 12 design will likely not be what we thought. Recent iPhone 12 CADs paint a completely different picture. Did Apple pull a fast one on the leak community? pic.twitter.com/bPYoij4V41
I heard some whispers this year’s iPadOS could be a much larger update than iOS 14. Here is every leak and rumor we’ve heard about iPadOS 14 ahead of its unveil on June 22 at WWDC 2020.
The news: In the future, AirPods will go completely wireless, according to L0vetodream (90.5% accurate).
The port on the bottom of AirPods will likely disappear in future versions
All AirPods cases currently include a Lightning connector
Our take: Cosigning rumors of next year’s totally wireless iPhone, future AirPods will likely be following the trend, too. Now that I have wireless charging, I can’t remember the last time I plugged my AirPods in with the physical charging cable.
The news: Apple just updated their online store with a higher-end GPU for 16-inch MacBook Pro, 0% financing for more products with Apple Card and a SSD upgrade kit for Mac Pro.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro has gained the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory
“75 percent faster performance than the 5500M when configured with 4GB of GDDR6,” per The Verge
Mac Pro SSD upgrade kits configured up to 8TB will be available later today
Apple Card 0% financing (6 or 12-month, depending on which product) is now available
Our take: With a big WWDC planned for a week from now, Apple likely wanted to push some smaller updates out prior to the fanfare. That being said, the GPU update on MacBook Pro seems significant, and I look forward to seeing how close to 75% faster it actually is.
Update: According to users on Twitter, these animated emoji are actually present in a current version of the clips app. Our earlier story got this info incorrect and we no longer expect broader animated emoji support in iOS 14.
The news: Apple could introduce animated emoji (different from Animoji) as soon as iOS 14, according to @blue_kanikama.
Rather than moving Animoji characters, these are animated versions of existing Unicode emoji
Notes, stars, dumbbells, confetti, music notes and more are present, per @blue_kanikama
The files were found in an early December 2019 build of iOS 14
Our take: Although these are real images obtained from an early build of iOS 14, there is no guarantee that they will actually be included as a user-facing feature. That being said, this seems small enough to have hopefully made the cut for June 22.
The news: We now have our first rough, hand-on look at this year’s iPhone sizing in the real world, according to @jin_store.
All models showing corroborate an iPad Pro-like design
The notch sizing in these images is unchanged, likely to an outdated or incomplete CAD model that was used to make these molds
Our take: This is usually the step the precedes our first look at more realistic dummy units, and suggests Apple is wrapping up development on the first prototypes. To me, the updated boxy design already looks amazing here…I can only imagine what it’ll look like when Apple ships these later this Fall.
