What we expect from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ Mac event
Okay, great. We’re done here.
Okay, fine. Yes, Apple has all but loudly declared that, five months after making a big silicon Mac reveal back at WWDC, the first models will finally be arriving at this week’s big event. Which models and precisely what kind of upgrades are coming is still up in the air, after months of rumors.
It’s also worth noting here that, in spite of the fact that Apple has had a LOT of smaller events in recent months, this is the company’s last event before the holiday season is in full force — as the name implies. That means we may finally be seeing some long-awaited products arriving in time to make their way into stockings and under trees.
But let’s start with the obvious: new Macs. Apple confirmed back in June that the first models sporting the ARM-based chips would arrive this year, so this event is do or die on that front. There have been a number of a rumors floating around on this front, well ahead of even the official Apple silicon unveiling. While iMacs and other models have been suggested, we seem to be looking specifically at two new 13-inch laptops at this week’s event, namely a new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
A report from Bloomberg that appeared last week details a chip based on the same A14 chip found in this year’s iPhone 12 models and the iPad Air. The company touted that the new chips would “deliver industry-leading performance and powerful new technologies.” Among the other stated benefits are increased power efficiency/battery life and other features developed for mobile devices, including security and machine learning.
An upgraded version of the company’s high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro could also be on the slate for the event, but the company appears to be kicking the can down the road on a long-rumored redesign for both this and the iMac. Keep in mind, the company has a stated two-year plan to make the full transition to the first-party silicon. That means we’re not likely to see big updates to the iMac (which received one fairly recently), Mac mini or the Mac Pro.
And, of course, what’s new hardware without the software to match? Apple’s been holding off on announcing the Big Sur release date since its June event. It seems all but a certainty that we’ll be getting a date for macOS 11.0. As one of the biggest updates to the desktop operating system in a number of years, Big Sur brings some key aesthetic redesigns and the new features to the Mac line.
Again, given that this is Apple’s last big event before the holidays, it seems likely we’ll see one or two non-Mac launches. The clearest candidates are the same ones we’ve been discussing in the lead up to every Apple event (and there have been plenty) over the last few months: namely, AirTags and AirPods Studio.
The recent iPhone event seemed like as good a time as any to launch the latter, alongside the arrival of the HomePod mini, but the over-ear headphones have reportedly run into production issues. That’s something of a surprise, given the fact the company owns Beats — the brand behind some of the best-selling over-ear headphones on the market. But better to have them late than early and malfunctioning.
AirTags, meanwhile, are the company’s long-rumored product-tracking Tile competitor. This one has been on top of the rumor list for even longer than AirPods Studio — and now would veritably be a good time to announce the potential stocking stuffer.
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What’s Apple’s next big thing? WWDC 2021 offered clues
Apple has been setting the groundwork for the next big thing for years. And, no, it’s not a car or a TV.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over two decades to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera. Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs.
The clues were there at WWDC 2021 as to Apple’s next big thing. Apple has been laying the groundwork for it for years, and I’d say that by this time next year, it’ll be here.
No, it not a car, and certainly not a TV.
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And a lot of the pieces are already in place for this.
For example, take Live Text in photos, with its associated visual look-up feature.
Having the ability to pull text from real-world scenes and pull up data on what the user is looking at would be a cornerstone feature of any AR glasses.
Imagine looking at a shop and getting opening hours, live train times when at the station, or product information when looking at a box or barcode. Rather than having to pull out a camera, the camera (and presumably a LiDAR scanner — would be scanning the scene constantly.
Another cornerstone of any face wearable would be mapping, and iOS 15 introduces AR to Maps.
Rolling out this year to selected cities, users will be able to hold up their iPhone, scan the buildings in the vicinity, and then get AR directions to their destination.
Sounds interesting on the iPhone — Google Maps has something similar that can precisely determine where you are based on the buildings around you — but that’s nothing compared to the same tech built into AR glasses.
Then there are the little things like voice search for Safari and bringing more of the Siri workload onto the device rather than offloading it to the cloud. Again, where a keyboard isn’t going to be an option — or the rudimentary input systems used on the Apple Watch — voice is going to be the primary input mechanism for any glasses wearable.
At this point, App Clips — tiny apps that are quickly downloaded and installed, and which offer a more basic set of features compared to full apps — become super useful. You don’t want your vision filled with apps, but being able to download a menu at a restaurant or a timetable at a train station would be helpful.
Apps then become on-demand
I see special audio as another part of the AR glasses, a way to make digital information feel as natural as the real world. Whether the AR glasses would feature earphones, or users would have to supply their own AirPods — I’m guessing the latter because, well, money — this has the potential to make AR glasses truly immersive.
I could even see wallet and keys being part of the AR package. Because why not? The best way to make a wearable a success is to get people to wear it as much as possible.
One question will be whether Apple can get over the privacy hurdles. Not user privacy, but those in the firing line of the cameras. This part of what sunk Google Glass in the consumer space, so it will be interesting to see how Apple navigates it.
That said, Apple has a calming effect on the masses — I’ve noticed a huge decrease in the 5G death beams lunacy now that new iPhones have 5G .
Maybe Apple can do the same for smart glasses.
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So, what is Apple’s next big thing going to be?
New products are vital for any company wanting to remain relevant — and Apple is no different. What are the new markets that Apple could break into?
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over two decades to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera. Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs.
There’s been a lot of chatter lately — chatter subsequently dismissed by Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller , although there seems to be confusion surround this story — that Apple has been planning to tweak the iPhone in some way — size, price — in order to take sales to the next level.
But let’s face it, a rejigged iPhone is still an iPhone, and won’t bring with it the same sort of hype that a new product would generate.
New products are vital for any company wanting to remain relevant — and that’s no different for Apple. New products take advantage of changing technology and consumer habits, and can also be used to create markets that previously never existed.
Just to be clear, this isn’t one of those «what Apple should do next» or «what Apple needs to do to survive» pieces. A look at the company’s financials suggests that it is doing very well. This is an exploration of where Apple might go over the coming months and years.
So, what is Apple’s next big thing going to be?
Television
There’s been endless speculation that Apple is (or has) been planning to make an assault on the living room with its own television set. According to analyst speculation, Apple’s TV would either look like a scaled-up iPad, or a scaled-up iMac. I have yet to read anything from a pundit or analyst that suggests Apple could bring any new innovation to a television.
Every Apple TV postulated by analysts and pundits is essentially a high-definition television from any other vendor — Samsung, LG, Sony, and so on — with an integrated Apple TV set-top box.
Since the television set is the focus of most living rooms, it might make sense to think that Apple would want to make a grab for this prominent position in people’s homes. The problem is, the television market isn’t strong enough for a company like Apple to enter into. The market is crowded, profit margins are tight, people seem uninterested in new technologies such as 3D, and people don’t buy new television sets regularly.
Television content
While Apple would see significant headwinds if it tried to enter the TV market, television content would be a different matter. After all, the problem with current TVs is not the hardware, but what’s being displayed on the actual screen.
While it seems clear that the broadcast networks are resistant to Apple getting a foothold in this market — otherwise they’d be falling over themselves to partner with Apple already — television is the last of the media that remains mostly untouched by the pervasive influence of Apple and iTunes.
Apple has changed the way that we watch television — substituting the television for the iPhone and iPad — and if it got into the television broadcast market, the way that we watch television could change forever. This, assuming that the networks play ball — has the potential to be huge.
Games console
If Apple weren’t interested in center stage in the living room, then maybe it would be happy taking on a supporting role. One way the Cupertino, Calif.-based technology giant could do this is to come out with a games console that attaches to any high-definition television using a free HDMI port, just like the Apple TV set-top box does.
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An Apple-branded gaming console sounds far more compelling than an Apple TV does for a number of reasons.
First, it would be a lot cheaper — both for Apple to produce and for consumers to buy — than an entire TV.
A games console is also a device with a limited lifespan based on factors such as storage and processing power, so the upgrade cycle is going to be much shorter than that of a TV. This is a proven market that the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo rely on.
A games console could also leverage Apple’s massive iOS user base not only by running the iOS games that people love to play on their iPhones and iPads, but also by allowing iPhone and iPad owners to use their smartphones and tablets are controllers.
A games console could take iOS gaming to a new level, adding features such as multiplayer support, and larger, more immersive games. This could be a massive money-spinner for Apple and developers alike.
This could work, partly because many of the required and necessary pieces to make this work are already in place.
iWatch
We carry the iPhone and iPad — we don’t wear it — so wearable computing is a market that’s pretty much open for Apple if it wants to take it. Question is: is there a real market there?
I’ve been reading about wearable gadgets for almost as long as I’ve been able to read. They are a staple of the sci-fi and spy genre, and it is surprising that it hasn’t taken off.
I view wearable computing pretty much as I saw the tablet market pre the iPad. It’s a good idea waiting for someone to make it work. That «someone» could undoubtedly be Apple. The question is, where would Apple take this. A watch? Glasses? Something completely new? This market space certainly has potential.
Home automation
Want to control your lights, heating, TV, and so on from your iPhone or iPad? You can already do this using third-party devices, but how about adding that Apple logo to the equation?
While the idea that Apple could leverage the huge iOS user base to push its own home automation products, this feels too nebulous to me.
Not only is it unclear as to how big the market is for such devices, but it is a fragmented market where Apple would need to manufacture dozens of different devices to cater for everyone.
Nest came to the market with an intelligent thermostat that grabbed headlines , but it’s still a niche product that’s light-years away from going mainstream. I’m not convinced that Apple would want to wade into such a niche market.
In-car entertainment
Cars are probably the most expensive accessory that we hook up our iDevices to, so why shouldn’t Apple horn in on this market?
While the market for in-car entertainment — both factory-fitted and third party — is big, it feels like an odd match for Apple. If Apple were interested in getting into the accessories market, then it could enter it in a smaller, safer way with Apple-branded docks or speakers.
It’s hard to see what Apple could bring to in-car entertainment that it hasn’t already done with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
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