Apple’s next special event, entitled “Hi, Speed”, has now been confirmed to be taking place on October 13th 2020. But as it is happening so soon after September’s “Time Flies” event that saw the launch of a new iPad Air, iPad and Apple watch. So, what can we realistically expect to see?
iPhone 12 – All but Confirmed
In normal years, we would have seen the launch of the next generation of Apple iPhone by now, but 2020 has definitely not been a normal year. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Apple have decided to delay the launch of the next phone amongst rumours of developmental and supply issues, but we now seem to be ready for launch. Apple haven’t officially confirmed the launch, but with time rapidly running out on 2020, there would be no better time to see the next iPhone finally released into the wild.
It’s been rumoured that we will see 4 new devices for this generation, the “iPhone 12”, “iPhone 12 Pro”, “iPhone 12 Pro Max” and interestingly, an “iPhone 12 Mini”. We haven’t seen an official “Mini” phone from Apple before, but it’s expected to build on the success of the iPhone SE 2020 and we are excited to see what they come up with.
One of the big rumours is that there will be a design change to the chassis of the phones, something that hasn’t been seen for a while from Apple. We are expecting to see a similar design as seen on the new iPad Pro range – a flat edged stainless-steel chassis – which definitely would be an interesting change. It would be interesting to see how a flat edged phone fares though, as mobile phones currently almost exclusively tend to have curved, ergonomic backs to feel more comfortable to hold in the hand.
iPad Air 4 – Very Likely
We already know lots of information about the iPad Air 4, as we had it announced back in September as part of Apple’s WWDC event. We won’t go into depth on this as all the information is already out there to be digested, but we can expect to see Apple officially give a release date for the iPad Air 4 during the “Hi, Speed” event.
New Macbook / Apple Silicon – Likely
In September’s WWDC, Apple announced that it will be moving away from Intel processors to its own “Apple Silicon” chips. Back then, Apple stated we will see the first Apple Silicon powered device before the end of 2020. Now would be as good a time as any to release a Silicon powered product, more than likely it will be a Macbook laptop variant. This also fits quite pleasingly with the “Hi, Speed” title.
Airpods Studio – Possible
We could even see Apple’s first attempt at full-size over ear headphones, rumoured to be called “Airpods Studio”. The rumour mill on this initially started churning when Apple completely removed all third-party headphones and speakers from its online stores, which would reasonably point at Apple planning on moving their own products into this void. We’d be surprised if we don’t see this announced on the 13th October.
HomePod – Possible
Also rumoured because of the withdrawal of third-party speakers, a lot of people think Apple may launch a new version of the HomePod, Apple’s answer to Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home devices. With no real updates to the HomePod range since 2017, it’s long overdue an upgrade and it’s possible we may see something on this front.
AirTags – Possible, but probably not.
Another long-rumoured item from Apple is the “AirTags”. Essentially expected to be one of these digital tracking tiles, that you can attached and use to locate items if they are misplaced, with an app. The hype for this item escalated when iOS 14 launched and various leaks claimed to release information on the “AirTags” earlier in the year. They never materialised at Apple’s WWDC 2020, so eyes are now pointing towards the October 13th conference.
AirPower – Very Unlikely
For what feels like the hundredth time, AirPower is back on the menu. For reasons that many people can’t quite grasp, Apple fans are desperate for AirPower, a wireless charger mat that will charge all devices together simultaneously, and was even officially canned in 2019. Even after all of that, a few ‘leaked’ images have appeared on Chinese social media sites, and various tipsters are taking responsibility and confirming the product exists. We would be blown away if this shows up on the October 13th event, but Apple’s “One more thing” moments have certainly surprised us in the past…
In the unlikely event that we do see all of the above, Apple will truly have lived up to the “Hi, Speed” moniker that they have given this event. We are also expecting to see an influx of refurbished iPhones at 4Gadgets, including iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Pro Max after the event, so keep an eye out! We also offer a wide range of cheap phones at the best prices.