Tag: digitimes

  • New AirPods not expected until early 2021

    New AirPods not expected until early 2021

    The rumor: Apple won’t be upgrading the standard version of AirPods until the first half of 2021, according to DigiTimes (61% accurate).

    • Similar to original AirPods release in late 2016, Apple does not plan to update the popular wireless buds yearly
    • Jon Prosser (78.4% accurate) previously suggested Apple could unveil a new AirPods product later this year

    Our take: If you’ve been on the fence about buying new AirPods, it’s probably a good time to buy. I thought we might see some new ones later this year, but now it appears they aren’t coming until 2021. Oh well.

  • 2020 iPad Air to have 10.8-inch display and cost less

    2020 iPad Air to have 10.8-inch display and cost less

    The rumor: Apple is planning to ship a new 10.8-inch iPad later this year, according to DigiTimes (61% accurate).

    • The new 10.8-inch iPad will likely be an update to the Air line
    • It’ll be “more affordable” and new models will be equipped with “high performance CPUs”

    Our take: This is good news, but a price tag lower than $499 makes me seriously doubt other rumors of an all-screen design with in-display Touch ID. Still, I think a larger screen will be a solid upgrade even for existing iPad Air users.

  • Apple Silicon MacBook Air & Pro to ship by end of 2020

    Apple Silicon MacBook Air & Pro to ship by end of 2020

    The rumor: The first notebooks featuring Apple silicon will launch before the end of the year, according to DigiTimes (61% accurate).

    • Both a MacBook Air and MacBook Pro could ship before the end of 2020
    • This is the start of Apple’s transition away from Intel-designed processors

    Our take: It’s pretty exciting that these ARM Macs are already shipping later this year. With the transition happening so quickly, it makes me question a) what the hold-up is on the Intel-based iMac refresh and b) why Apple wouldn’t just refresh it with Apple silicon in the first place.

  • 2020 iPhones likely launching in October

    2020 iPhones likely launching in October

    The news: Apple’s iPhone lineup for this year probably won’t launch in September, according to DigiTimes (61% accurate).

    • The release of “four models and three sizes, is likely to be in October”
    • COVID-19 significantly disrupted Apple’s usually development cycle

    Our take: Nearly every single report about the iPhone 12 lineup for this year has mentioned that delays are a strong possibility. The world is still restarting, so a minor one month slip is honestly a good-case scenario.

    Featured image via Jonas Daehnert.

  • Future AirPods to feature ambient light sensors

    Future AirPods to feature ambient light sensors

    The news: A future version of Apple’s popular truly wireless headphones will include ambient light sensing (ALS) technology, according to DigiTimes.

    • Ambient light sensors are generally used to adjust screen brightness, automatically

    Our take: With no screen for an ALS to adjust the brightness for, it clearly won’t be used for that on future AirPods. MacRumors found a second DigiTimes report suggesting it could be used to measure heart rate, and…I did some research and found this: the technology does actually exist! I’ve found heart rate monitoring on the Apple Watch to be spotty when doing something like running, so taking this measurement via the ears would be a solid workaround.