Prediction: Hi, Speed.
Another year has passed, and yet again it is all eyes on Apple to see what they will deliver in this latest keynote appropriately titled Hi, Speed. The main event of this keynote will undoubtedly be iPhone 12. I believe this invite means a few things. The “Hi, Speed” pertains to the new 5G modems in iPhone for the very first time. This is a big advancement for the iPhone lineup as I truly believe in the power of 5G for the future, but this phone will ship with technology packed inside of it that some markets and providers won’t even be able to fully take part of yet. This is a good thing if you look at it in the way that this phone will future proof you for years to come. Now this invitation is also referring to the new Apple silicon chip that will be inside the entire iPhone 12 lineup, making it one of the fastest, if not the fastest consumer phones on the market. This is what is expected:
iPhone 12 mini - 5.4” Screen
This is going to be exciting for sure. A lot of people have been asking, if not begging Apple for a smaller form factor phone, but with the newest look and features. Having FaceID built into a 5.4” form factor device will be an awesome win for consumers who look for a smaller main device.
iPhone 12 - 6.1” Screen
Now this may be the most popular model this year, as the iPhone 11 was last year, and the iPhone XR was the year prior. I’m predicting the screen, upgraded camera system, and increase to battery life will be a big draw. Will be interesting to me to compare battery life as well as photos from previous comparable models.
iPhone 12 Pro/ Pro Max - 6.1”/ 6.7” Screen
In recent years, this will be the phone with the biggest screen, most robust camera system, and larger battery life. I wouldn’t focus on the almighty rumored “120Hz” display, as I’m sure the display will look, and work beautifully. Apple has never been a company for touting their specs of their tech. Even if we think back to years ago when tech was not approachable at all, Apple was a company leading the charge to give customers fewer but solid options to ensure they have a great experience. I expect this phone to have a feature or two that the baseline iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini does not offer.
iPhone SE Plus 5.5” Screen
This is a complete toss up, but I do feel that there is hands down a market of an iPhone SE Plus with a physical home button, bezels, latest processor, and large screen. Basically the iPhone 8 Plus form factor with updated internals. This could be interesting to see come to fruition, giving customers more choice of a larger screen phone at a more affordable price.
It’s going to be interesting to see if all iPhone 12 models come equipped with the 5G modem installed, or they will offer a 4G LTE model? Additionally, it would be amazing if Apple brought back the infamous TouchID to all iPhone 12 models as under display technology, but I wouldn’t get our hopes up. It would be quite beneficial if this was true as in these times of mask wearing TouchID out in public in my opinion is a significantly better experience. Lastly, we can have a pretty good idea what the iPhone 12 lineup looks like, as Apple gave us a glimpse of the new iPad Air in colors Space Grey, Silver, Rose Gold, Green, and Sky Blue.
HomePod Mini
HomePod Mini - Apple introduced their HomePod speaker system Feb 9th 2018. I’m sure for quite some time they have been working on a smaller, more affordable model and it is slated to be shared with the world tomorrow coming in at $99.00. Now if this does indeed come in under 100.00 USD, this is going to be a huge seller! I predict this product may be even more important than people think. I personally always felt HomePod was a product that in true Apple fashion can start off as one thing, and start acting as a complete other. Example to this is, I’ve felt for the longest time that HomePod should be used in corporate America as a conference room speakerphone. This ability paired with Apple TV for AirPlay mirroring would be the ideal combo to really enhance the Apple ecosystem in an office environment. Here is the article I wrote about this back in June 2019 about this idea. https://www.macmeicloud.com/blog/2019/6/23/opinion-apple-needs-to-make-homepod-more-enterprise-friendly-for-conference-room-speakerphone-calling
Update on Apple One Subscription Service - Last keynote Apple introduced their amazing subscription service called Apple One. Anyone who is deeply embedded in the Apple Ecosystem will benefit greatly from this, and if you were already paying for many or all Apple services, this will even save you money! We may hear a more definite date on the launch of this in time for the Holiday gift rush.
Apple TV, (hopefully!) Something that is hands down due for a refresh has been the Apple TV. It’s now been over 3 years since the Apple TV 4K model has launched, and with the introduction of HomePod Mini, it seems to be the right time for Apple to also update Apple TV. This would be in the maybe category, and could also be something that launches before the end of year in a soft launch via their online store alongside a press release. If and when Apple refreshes the Apple TV, hands down expect an updated design on the remote which it seems that consumers either love or hate about the product.
Here is a real life example of the power of 5G. I’m fortunate enough to have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G on T-Mobile, and the current top of the line iPhone 11 Pro Max. Both on LTE, I conducted a speed test from my dining room table in my home in Hoboken, NJ and these were my results. It goes to show how an iPhone will greatly benefit from 5G capability, as this will greatly decrease load times, and give the end users even more power and control to do amazing things with these super computers that we carry around with us every single day.
Well, only time will tell. 5G will of course be a buzz word tomorrow across all networks. I will of course be tuning in to see what Apple has to share with us. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on these new products, and I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on my thoughts! Be sure to tune into the keynote on Tuesday, Oct 13th at 1 PM EST, 10 AM PST via the Apple TV App on a compatible device, or right here on their Apple Events website. https://www.apple.com/apple-events/
Happy Keynote Everyone!
-Joe
