The final 12 months haven’t been the 12 months anyone anticipated, however as we forge forward into 2021, we’ve all acquired our collective fingers crossed for a brighter future. This was a 12 months of main strikes for the corporate, a few of which set the stage for extra huge bulletins within the 12 months forward.
Let’s put aside the previous for a second and challenge ourselves ahead. Whereas 2021 nonetheless isn’t going to be “regular”—no matter meaning now—Apple has confirmed that it will probably proceed to place out the high-quality, modern merchandise that we’ve come to count on from it, even amid a world pandemic. What is perhaps coming down the corporate’s pipeline?
As regular, there’s little greater than hypothesis at this level, however that’s not going to cease me from peering deep into the leaves of my third cup of tea to see what is perhaps in retailer.
To M2 and past!
The transfer to Apple’s customized silicon began with a bang in 2020, however a major a part of the corporate’s prospects have discovered themselves ready for the opposite shoe to drop. These first three M1 Macs are spectacular, little doubt, however in addition they signify the decrease finish of Apple’s lineup.
Rumors of the upcoming Apple silicon Macs have already began to look, nevertheless it appears most certainly that we’ll see transitions of the upper finish 13-inch MacBook Professional (maybe bumped as much as a 14-inch show?), 16-inch MacBook Professional, and maybe a low-end iMac sooner quite than later, as they’re the subsequent rungs on the ladder. The final to come back will certainly be the Mac Professional, which stories have already recommended gained’t seem till earlier in 2022, although it’s stated to have some actually astounding specs, together with as much as 32 high-performance cores—4 occasions greater than the M1 Macs, to not point out that the every core itself will doubtless be speedier than what we’ve seen already.
These chips are prone to compensate for the M1’s limitations on the variety of ports and quantities of RAM. However between the enhancements within the processors and the high-end graphics efficiency that we’ve additionally heard could also be within the pipeline, they promise to be some spectacular machines, that should put to mattress any suggestion that Apple can’t match Intel toe-to-toe.
At a mobile stage
So long as we’re on the subject of Apple-made chips, processors aren’t the one issues that the corporate is wanting to herald home. In 2019, Apple bought Intel’s
QualcommWe might hear extra in regards to the finish of Qualcomm as Apple’s mobile modem chip supplier in 2021
enterprise and the corporate has reportedly began spooling up its course of to design its personal customized mobile chips to be used in its cell gadgets.
Whereas this may not present fairly the identical bang-for-the-buck that Apple will get out of designing its personal CPUs, graphics chips, and neural engines, it does proceed the pattern of Apple figuring out the important thing elements of its infrastructure and bringing them below its personal management. Lately, Apple has been reliant on Qualcomm to supply modems for its iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches; a six-year-deal struck between the 2 firms, additionally in 2019, covers Apple’s use of Qualcomm’s mental property—presumably till such a time as it is going to be capable of supplant all of these chips with its personal modems.
That doesn’t imply these chips will essentially seem in 2021: ramp up on subsequent 12 months’s iPads and iPhones have in all probability already began, and it’ll actually take some time for the corporate to construct, take a look at, and scale manufacturing of its personal modem {hardware}. However that doesn’t rule out the likelihood that extra particulars may seem within the 12 months forward.
Computing within the age of COVID
A little bit of a wildcard, however I’m curious to see if Apple’s 2021 plans prolong to persevering with to adapt to the state of affairs the world has discovered itself in. The corporate’s executives have lauded its personnel for having the ability to proceed to do nice work throughout the pandemic, however there are many locations the place the corporate might proceed to make significant enhancements to folks’s lives whereas we journey out the subsequent six to 12 months.
Simply off the highest of the pinnacle: all Apple customers would doubtless profit from continued enhancements to FaceTime that convey extra options consistent with opponents like Zoom or Microsoft Groups. (And particularly given the previous’s spate of issues with privateness and encryption, which would appear to make it ripe for Apple to swoop in.) To not point out, lastly beefing up the front-facing cameras on a few of its Macs. And although Health+ has simply launched, it could be attention-grabbing to see if Apple may improve the service past bodily wellness to incorporate psychological wellness too.
Much more
There’s much more within the playing cards for subsequent 12 months: The Apple TV appears in want of a refresh, and protracted rumors recommend the corporate may take one other crack at gaming, and maybe even redesign the distant. The iPad Professional is at present being outclassed by final fall’s iPad Air, and that state of affairs can’t final for lengthy: a brand new mannequin, probably with microLED know-how and and improved processor, might seem as early as spring. What of the mysterious monitoring tags which have by no means materialized? And, in fact, the large query: will Apple roll out an iPhone 13 line? Or will superstition demand it’s referred to as one thing else? (Hey, there was by no means an iPhone 9.)
One factor is for sure: subsequent 12 months goes to be something however boring on the planet of Apple. We’re wanting ahead to retaining shut tabs on it, and hope you’ll stick round for the journey. Right here’s to 2021.