Apple's next product splash slated for second half of October
Though the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch have been formally introduced, Apple is far from calling it quits on 2014, with the company's next major product unveiling expected to take place around mid-to-late October, AppleInsider has learned.
A person familiar with the company's pre-launch logistics says Apple has set internal project and marketing deadlines of mid-October, ahead of the planned unveiling of major new products during the second half of the month. That would align with an anticipated media event previously rumored to be held at some point during October. The same source who spoke to AppleInsider has shared reliable information on product introduction and timing in the past.
Of course, Apple has used the latter month of October to introduce new products in years past, including the unveiling of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display last year. Both of those products were introduced at a media event on Oct. 22, 2013, before they went on sale to consumers in early November.
This year, Apple is widely expected to unveil its latest iPads at an October media event, with both the next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini rumored to feature the company's secure Touch ID fingerprint sensor. It's also likely that the new models will boast the same A8 processor found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Also on tap for debut later this year is Yosemite, the latest free OS X update. Yosemite will tie closely into Apple's iOS 8 mobile operating system update for iPhone and iPad, scheduled to be released to the public on Wednesday.
The company has also revealed that Apple Pay, its NFC-based secure mobile payment service for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, will launch with a forthcoming iOS 8 update in October.
Less certain is an anticipated MacBook Air redesign with a high-resolution Retina display and an all-new ultra-thin form factor. The existing 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models without Retina displays were updated in April with modest upgrades and price cuts, while the newly redesigned version was originally claimed to debut this year.
However, recent rumors have suggested the launch of a new MacBook Air with Retina display may be pushed back to 2015. The new model is expected to come in one screen size of 12 inches, and is rumored to feature a fan-less quiet design, click-less trackpad, and fewer inputs and outputs on its shrunken frame.
Retina displays are also rumored to come to Apple's iMac lineup, but there has been even less concrete evidence for a 2014 debut for a high-resolution all-in-one Mac desktop. Also a candidate for a Retina display would be Apple's premium Thunderbolt Display, something fans have hoped for since the new cylindrical Mac Pro debuted in late 2013.
Finally, the company is also rumored to be working on an update to its Apple TV set-top box, potentially with new input methods and support for downloadable third-party applications. But the latest claims suggest Apple remains held up by talks with cable companies and content owners, suggesting that such negotiations could push the launch of a hardware refresh back to 2015.
In short, with Apple gearing up for an anticipated October event, there's a lot believed to be in the company's pipeline that could be introduced for a fall launch. But aside from new iPads and the launch of OS X Yosemite, very little is certain about the remainder of Apple's 2014.
A person familiar with the company's pre-launch logistics says Apple has set internal project and marketing deadlines of mid-October, ahead of the planned unveiling of major new products during the second half of the month. That would align with an anticipated media event previously rumored to be held at some point during October. The same source who spoke to AppleInsider has shared reliable information on product introduction and timing in the past.
Of course, Apple has used the latter month of October to introduce new products in years past, including the unveiling of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display last year. Both of those products were introduced at a media event on Oct. 22, 2013, before they went on sale to consumers in early November.
This year, Apple is widely expected to unveil its latest iPads at an October media event, with both the next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini rumored to feature the company's secure Touch ID fingerprint sensor. It's also likely that the new models will boast the same A8 processor found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
New iPads with Touch ID are expected this year, and Apple has already revealed that OS X Yosemite will launch this fall. Beyond that, though, is anyone's guess.
Also on tap for debut later this year is Yosemite, the latest free OS X update. Yosemite will tie closely into Apple's iOS 8 mobile operating system update for iPhone and iPad, scheduled to be released to the public on Wednesday.
The company has also revealed that Apple Pay, its NFC-based secure mobile payment service for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, will launch with a forthcoming iOS 8 update in October.
Less certain is an anticipated MacBook Air redesign with a high-resolution Retina display and an all-new ultra-thin form factor. The existing 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models without Retina displays were updated in April with modest upgrades and price cuts, while the newly redesigned version was originally claimed to debut this year.
However, recent rumors have suggested the launch of a new MacBook Air with Retina display may be pushed back to 2015. The new model is expected to come in one screen size of 12 inches, and is rumored to feature a fan-less quiet design, click-less trackpad, and fewer inputs and outputs on its shrunken frame.
Retina displays are also rumored to come to Apple's iMac lineup, but there has been even less concrete evidence for a 2014 debut for a high-resolution all-in-one Mac desktop. Also a candidate for a Retina display would be Apple's premium Thunderbolt Display, something fans have hoped for since the new cylindrical Mac Pro debuted in late 2013.
Finally, the company is also rumored to be working on an update to its Apple TV set-top box, potentially with new input methods and support for downloadable third-party applications. But the latest claims suggest Apple remains held up by talks with cable companies and content owners, suggesting that such negotiations could push the launch of a hardware refresh back to 2015.
In short, with Apple gearing up for an anticipated October event, there's a lot believed to be in the company's pipeline that could be introduced for a fall launch. But aside from new iPads and the launch of OS X Yosemite, very little is certain about the remainder of Apple's 2014.
Comments
New iPads in 3 sizes. iPad Air and iPad Plus get split screen multi-tasking. All iPads get Touch ID.
New retina iMacs and retina thunderbolt displays.
DiscoverCard partnership announced for Apple Pay. Global bank partnerships announced. iPhone launch in china announced.
No AppleTV, no iPods, and no MacBooks.
Cool! I'm in for an iPad. My wife's 2 is getting pretty tired, and it would be great for the side-business Square stuff.
Apple Pay is not gonna roll out to any other countries than the U.S. before at least 2015, that's for sure! There's stil lots that gotta be worked on with banks across the world, card issuers (Visa, MasterCard, and AmEx), and especially lots of contact-less payment stations that have to be installed globally (in countries where NFC hasn't taken off yet, like most European countries) before Apple Pay outside of the U.S. could really be of any use.
Probably... I wonder if any iPods are gonna be announced this year!
I'm waiting for a real upgrade to the iMacs, one that will decide whether I get and iMac or Mac Pro. If the iMac upgrade is simply an update and the Mac Pro comes out with a better update and a monitor that doesn't cost as must as the Pro, then I just might go that direction. I know I'm going to be buying some kind of a RAID anyway so I'll focus on getting the proper size flash storage and figuring out which RAID is the quietest and best value. I'll probably end up building a sound deadening compartment for it that has enough airflow to keep it cool, mounting it under my desk. My next job will be to get all the information on moving my iPhoto and iTunes libraries to the RAID and will probably put some of my home directory there are well, leaving my Desktop on the flash storage (I know I have a messy desktop but that's how I (mis)manage my files).
NFC is already in Europe and Asia. Apple simply has to get banks overseas to agree to their terms, which should be easy since US banks said the terms were favorable, and after the terms are agreed upon ApplePay should work with existing NFC terminals.
I think ApplePay's rollout will be much faster than iTunes Radio because for ApplePay the infrastructure is already there and most banks are willing to move to secure mobile payments.
Don't be surprised if we see Canadian, British, and Chinese bank partnerships announced in October with more to come in 2015.
Uneventful compared to the iPhone and AppleWatch event.
Although a retina iMac would be ground breaking the tech press only cares about Apple's iDevices. So in their minds it would be a boring event if Apple's major innovations came from the Mac side. But I expect Apple to also release a larger iPad alongside the Mac updates.
I also think we'll hear a lot about ApplePay at the event. ApplePay announcements will also keep investors happy, which is a plus.
The October event will probably be rather uneventful compared last weeks event but here are my guesses:
New iPads in 3 sizes. iPad Air and iPad Plus get split screen multi-tasking. All iPads get Touch ID.
New retina iMacs and retina thunderbolt displays.
DiscoverCard partnership announced for Apple Pay. Global bank partnerships announced. iPhone launch in china announced.
No AppleTV, no iPods, and no MacBooks.
3 sizes of iPads and retina iMac and retina displays sounds very eventful to me especially considering there have been no leaks of any of these products yet. Only speculation and mockups.
Other than Retina for the MBA and a better battery life due to the new chips, I'm not sure what those changes will be. One must-have is a compact power supply like the Kickstarter Dart. It's ridiculous to ship such a heavy brick with a featherweight laptop. Other options might be a built-in cellular data option (at least with the Pro), as with iPads, or even GPS.
I've seen no rumors about the last, but it makes sense. Apple needs to take the hardware behind location services as seriously as it takes the software and add GPS across its product line, including non-cellular iPads.
Oh, and Touch ID for laptops. That offer great security, anti-theft prevention, and time-savings. I'd love a Mac that, every time I'm asked for a password, all I need to in touch with my finger.
Apple, we should never forget, needs to stay ahead of the pack with features to justify its higher prices.
Tell me about it... We are still waiting to iTunes Radio to make an appearance here in the UK - although the only country outside the US that it's rolled out to in the 12 months since it's launch is Australia so we aren't alone, and I rather suspect that 99% of the reason for this delay is i money grubbing record labels rather than Apple.
Can't wait for Apple Pay to roll out... we've had contactless payments available in the UK for a good few years now although the POS equipment is now pretty widespread in stores it still hasn't off massively due to an imposed £20 limit on contactless transactions because of the lack of any signature or PIN requirement to verify the card you use is yours. Apple Pay / Touch ID should hopefully overcome this issue to allow contactless payments for higher values which would make it much more useful.
I'm waiting for a real upgrade to the iMacs, one that will decide whether I get and iMac or Mac Pro. If the iMac upgrade is simply an update and the Mac Pro comes out with a better update and a monitor that doesn't cost as must as the Pro, then I just might go that direction. I know I'm going to be buying some kind of a RAID anyway so I'll focus on getting the proper size flash storage and figuring out which RAID is the quietest and best value. I'll probably end up building a sound deadening compartment for it that has enough airflow to keep it cool, mounting it under my desk. My next job will be to get all the information on moving my iPhoto and iTunes libraries to the RAID and will probably put some of my home directory there are well, leaving my Desktop on the flash storage (I know I have a messy desktop but that's how I (mis)manage my files).
If you're only using your desktop in the flash memory, why would you need any more than 256GB? Any RAID would handle all your big video and photo files. What else is there that takes up space?
Can't wait for Apple Pay to roll out... we've had contactless payments available in the UK for a good few years now although the POS equipment is now pretty widespread in stores it still hasn't off massively due to an imposed £20 limit on contactless transactions because of the lack of any signature or PIN requirement to verify the card you use is yours.
Jeez, that IS low. Mine is CAD$200.
Hard to imagine that something new and amazing from Beats would not revealed.
No AppleTV, no iPods, and no MacBooks.[/quote]
Maybe no Apple TV hardware -- I think brokering a payment deal with the major banks is more than enough for one year. But there should be a software update along with Yosimite ... Isn't Airplay supposed to bypass the need to connect to a network and go direct into the box? I'm looking forward to that ...
Apple is going to offer the Surface Coffee Table.
Oh... wait...
I don't know about the UK, but France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy (and many more) have no NFC whatsoever! Most people there don't know what that is! If you think Britain's nearly the only country in Europe (which many Americans seem to do, though I don't know if your American) then you're beyond mistaken: Britain's the most advanced country technologically in Europe, so Apple Pay might debut there soon, but the rest of Europe will have to wait at least 6 months. I know people who work at major credit card companies (Visa, MasterCard, and AmEx) and they told me it will take at least 6 months to get Apple Pay in Europe! China, Canada, and Japan may very well support Apple Pay in the next few weeks, but Europe won't!
I'm going to be a pessimist.
I'm definitely getting a new iPad soon, and I'd love to have an iPad Pro, but I just don't see that happening this year. I hope that I'm wrong of course.