An Apple launch in September for new watches and iPads. An Apple launch in October for the new iPhones and HomePod Mini. Is another launch on the cards for 2020?
I don’t think we’re done yet. That is to say, I don’t think we’re done with launches this year. I think there’s still time left to see new products, and I think Apple is going to show us some by the year’s end.
Why do I think that? Partly because of something Apple said at its Worldwide Developer’s Conference, and because the rumours surround Apple’s next headphones are too stubborn to go away.
Apple silicon in its computers
Only a few months ago, Apple talked up what we could expect from its computer line, as the company finally announced it was moving back to its own chips.
It’s a gradual process, but it’s one that will eventually see Apple make the move from Intel processors to its own chips inside, and the iPhone and iPad are largely to thank. Inside Apple’s phones and tablets beats some pretty serious processing power, and that’s one reason why Apple is making the move back to its own chips.
As to what the computers will look like and what sort of benefits they can bring, that remains to be seen, but Apple did say we can expect to see a Mac with its own chip before the end of the year.
That clearly didn’t happen at either the event for the iPad Air or the Apple Watch back in September, nor did it happen for an iPhone 12 or a HomePod announcement in October.
However, if Apple is serious about showing off a Mac with its own chips by the end of this year, it does mean that another event is likely on the cards by year’s end.
Apple Studio headphones
The other possible launch is a persistent little rumour which keeps rattling around for Apple concerns new headphones, or more specifically, Apple’s first headphones.
Apple has had earphones aplenty before, what with the wired EarPods, the wireless AirPods, and the noise cancelling AirPods Pro, and it even technically has a headphone brand from Beats, but it doesn’t have headphones of its own.
One rumour that keeps popping up suggests Apple will have headphones in the not too distant future, and while we hope they’re not named after the AirPods — because “air” typically signifies cordless and wireless, and “pods” for each ear — if they come with Apple’s approach to sound and noise cancellation, they’ll interesting, for sure.
It’s also hard to imagine making it through to the end of the year without a new breed of earphones for Apple, though it definitely might not happen. It’s not as if there’s a shortage of headphone options out in the world as it is.
If Apple has another event in 2020, when would it be?
If either of these turn out to be true — or both (porque no los dos) — mid-November is the likely timing.
November 10 or November 17 makes some sense, partly because it will have been about a month since the most recent October event (which itself was about a month from the September one), plus there’s some timing to think about. If Apple runs an event on November 10, it means the company can talk up more goods coming just before the launch of the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini, both of which come out on November 13. On the other hand, if Apple chooses November 17, it can keep the hype machine in full swing, and possibly get in there just before Thanksgiving in the US, which is a known shopping season, much like Boxing Day is in Australia.
All of this is speculation, of course, and there could be no event. There could be no event at all in November, or one an event at a totally different time, or no event at all. Apple could just end up talking about the new computer without actually showing it at an event, but with rumours still going and no new Mac on the cards yet, there’s a good chance that something is coming, we’ll just have to wait.
