Hobie’s Apple “Spring Loaded” Event Wishlist
Well, the Apple Event is Tuesday so its our last chance to talk about what we’d like to see from the event. Here are a few things I’d like to see:
iPad Pro: This one appears to be on tap with a microLED screen for the bigger iPad and beefy processor upgrade. There is rumors of a glossy Apple Pencil 3, which I hope its really the case since I like the mat texture because its easier to keep a hand on, but I do hope that we maybe get some added functionality like maybe a secondary button, I think that would be a nice touch. I hope that the Magic Keyboard stays the same at least for the smaller iPad because selfishly I already own one, but I don’t see them really making any changes on the 11” because of the physical dimensions. I could see the iPad Pro 13” getting the microLED screen and maybe a new keyboard with some command keys at the top like volume, brightness, expose, etc. I’m looking forward to getting the extra RAM from the 2020 iPad Pro, my 2018 model definitely taps out when I’m using it like a laptop in the Magic Keyboard. Also, I’m hoping the processor upgrade leads to some better battery life, when you use the iPad as a laptop for work it can kinda drain pretty quickly these days. There are also rumors of the iPad Pro having Thunderbolt 4 ports…I think that’s a 50/50, but more USB 4.0 is more likely, which I think would be a nice upgrade anyway. Anything that makes it easier to get data from cameras into or out of the iPad is always appreciated. Also, I could see the iPad Pro finally getting 5G. Now that we’re starting to get away from COVID this summer I could see having 5G on an iPad Pro to be VERY tempting. I got a solid 100MB/s in Mobile recently and that’s really great on a tablet/small computer. My wallet is ready for this one.
iPad Mini “Air”: I hope that the iPad Mini does get updated with the iPad Air design. The iPad Mini has always been a slightly cheaper version of the $500 iPad, $99 cheaper to denote its smaller size. A bezel-less iPad Mini with a TouchID side button, Apple Pencil 2 support, and different colors would be sweet and be extra tempting as a content-consumption device. Particularly with Apple One, I could see them selling the iPad as a great device for Apple Book+, AppleTV+, Apple Podcasts+, Apple Arcade games, etc.
AirTags: ? These things have to come out at one point…surely? Maybe? I don’t know if they really make sense now that the Find My Next is a thing and third party creators can make their own. I’m sure that people will want an Apple solution to this. I think they could be cool Christmas gifts for family members. I could see maybe putting one of my cat’s tag, car, and backpack.
AppleTV 5: I doubt this one. There is rumors that they’re working on an updated AppleTV, but I can see this really being a fall announcement when the next set of AppleTV+ shows come out. If there were to be a new AppleTV, I would hope that Apple releases a new dongle-based AppleTV that has everything minus the Apple Arcade support at maybe half the price of the current model at $70–80. I then would hope that Apple releases a new AppleTV box with a gaming controller for Apple Arcade or maybe sell controller bundles on their website or in the stores as a package. Basically include a controller of some sort with the $150 AppleTV and make it more of a Nintendo Switch competitor. Also, they just need to pull the trigger and make the TV app the homescreen on the AppleTV as a way to force Netflix and Youtube to finally integrate with it.
Airpods 3: Maybe? I don’t personally care since I’m very happy with my AirPods Pro, but a lot of people do. I hope that they do not have the squishy tips because I know some people who don’t like in-ear headphones like that so the choice would be good for them. Not sure beyond having wireless charging as a default option for the baseline AirPods and the new look that would be an upgrade. Maybe the U1 chip for finding them when they’re lost via the Find My Network be a big deal for a lot of people.
Apple Smart Display: There is talk that Apple is working on a smart screen that’s a competitor to the Google Nest Hub or the Facebook Portal with a focus on FaceTime calls, Siri, and Appel Photos. I would love this and buy it up in a heartbeat. I feel like this would be a fall release after WWDC. I imagine whatever came out would run TVOS like the Homepod Mini does, but I feel like Apps would have to be developed for a new platform like that unless they’re going to do the opposite of the Apple Watch and release the 3rd party SKU after their release the hardware. Regardless, even with just basic Apple services support like Apple Photos, Podcasts, Music, and Homekit, I think a lot of people would be really interested in such a product.
iMac: New iMacs are coming…hopefully sooner rather than later. I’ve seen rumors of them coming in an iPad Air-like colors, but I doubt that they’ll do that and probably stick with the iMac silver and give a bezel-less redesign when they switch it to Apple Silicon. Beyond that, I do hope that we get a better camera and microphone system in them for working from home and the proliferation of Teams and Zoom calls over the last year. They improved it a little last year, but the iMac still leaves a lot to be desired. I feel like this is a WWDC or fall announcement.
Apple Services: I could see Apple announcing a Apple Music HD service and pairing it with their AirPods Max headphones. There were rumors that there would be cheaper AirPods Sports versions of those headphones last year, maybe if they had a high quality streaming music service and a cheaper, entry level model they could get more people into their larger headphones. The Maxes are just too expensive, especially with no HD music service to really prompt them up. I also see more talk about AppleTV+ TV show renewals with maybe some previews of new TV shows. They seem to be really taking TV seriously now. Apple Podcasts+ is also rumored and I would be okay with that if its included with Apple Music and AppleOne…I have really enjoyed their podcast “The Line” lately and would like more podcasts like that covering interesting topics. Apple News+ still needs some love, I would love if they maybe added video news into the service and expanded the Apple News+ Audio stories to more platforms like the Apple Watch, Mac, and AppleTV. Probably not happening now, but I would love Appel Photos to be elevated to a full Apple One service, but I imagine that would get tied to their smart screen announcement. Apple Arcade got a big boost recently with the new games. I really do hope they come out with a gaming controller at one point with the Apple W1 chipset in it for fast pairing, lower latency, and quick swapping between devices.
Grab-bag: iOS 14.5 with the face mask unlocking would be a God-send at this point and I can see new Apple Watch band colors as well as new Apple MagSafe case colors. The latter has leaked already. I’d love me a MagSafe battery pack. The principle is cool, but I don’t like how thick the Anker one and it charges at a lame 5W. An official Apple MagSafe battery would probably look cooler and work better. I hope it becomes a thing.
Anyway, that’s my thoughts for the Apple Event this week. What do you want to see?
