Apple's focus these days seems to be on redesigning the iPhone and growing new platforms like the Apple TV and its Apple Watch. But it appears that the company won't forget about its more mature products, as a report claims new features for iPads and updated MacBook Air laptops are on the horizon.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Jungah Lee released yesterday (August 29) Apple will be doubling down on the iPad Pro's Pencil accessory. That would start with adding support for the stylus to many apps, not just first-party programs such as Notes.
While the report doesn't specify which tablets will get these new features, there is reason to believe support for the stylus may be coming to only the iPad Pro models. The report states new features are "aimed at higher-paying professional customers" and that sales of the Pro slates can be tied to "the first increase in quarterly iPad revenue in more than two years."
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You shouldn't hold your breath waiting for new iPads in the coming months, though, as Gurman and Lee report that Apple isn't planning to release new tablets until next year. Apple tracker Ming-Chi Kuo of the KGI securities firm notes that the company's next slate is a 10.5-inch iPad Pro due out in 2017. That model, according to Bloomberg's source, will feature "faster display technology" that enables "smoother zooming, panning and scrolling."
The MacBook Air, Still Alive?
Rumors surrounding upcoming revisions to Apple's notebooks have so far focused on the MacBook Pro and the company's 12-inch MacBook, leading many to suspect Apple may be putting the MacBook Air out to pasture. On the contrary, Gurman and Lee's source claims that the MacBook Air will be a part of the line refresh.
Coming as soon as October, updated Airs could feature USB-C ports, which will bring them to parity with many rest of the future-facing Windows 10 notebooks.
New Panels for Pros?
On top of all that, the Bloomberg report also suggests that the successor to Apple's Thunderbolt displays is on the way. The new monitor will be the product of a collaboration between Apple and LG, and feature a 5K screen, similar to the one found in current iMacs.
And what about those iMacs?
Gurman and Lee don't have much to report about Apple's next iMacs, but they do note that the desktop Macs will get "an option for new graphics chips" from AMD. All signs point to those cards being the desktop version of the Polaris card, already rumored to make its laptop debut in upcoming MacBook Pros.
