Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Apple could launch AirTags, a smaller iPhone, and new MacBooks in early 2020

Alex Blake
By

Hoping for a fresh batch of Apple gear to hit the streets soon? You’re in luck, because according to noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has a whole boatload of products on the way in the first half of 2020.

Recommended Videos

In a research note seen by MacRumors, Kuo explains: “We forecast that Apple’s major new hardware products in 1H20 include the 4.7-inch LCD iPhone, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro/Air, smaller wireless charging mat, UWB [ultra-wideband] tag, and a high-end Bluetooth headphone.”

Related

Most (if not all) of these products have been extensively rumored before, but the chances of them launching soon seem to have drastically increased now that they’ve received the Kuo stamp of approval. Ming-Chi Kuo is widely seen as a highly credible analyst with sources well placed in the Apple supply chain — if he says something will launch soon, it’s highly likely that it will.

iPhone SE 2 concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Perhaps the most exciting of the rumored products is the 4.7-inch iPhone, which is seen by many as an heir to the now-discontinued iPhone SE. This would be positioned as a smaller, cheaper iPhone, running on the modern A13 Bionic processor but with legacy features like Touch ID, all housed in an iPhone 8 (or similar) chassis. The original iPhone SE was a surprisingly popular phone, and many lamented its retirement when Apple stopped selling it in 2018. Launching an iPhone SE 2 could help Apple recapture that end of the market; it’s rumored to go on sale in March.

Elsewhere, Kuo believes Apple will finally launch its much-rumored AirTags in the first half of 2020. AirTags is potentially the name for an ultra-wideband tracker device not unlike Tile, and evidence unearthed in iOS by MacRumors suggests that these would be controlled from a new tab in the Find My app.

We could also see a new iPad Pro, as well as a spec bump for the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air (or both; Kuo’s language on those points isn’t clear). There has been much talk of Apple transitioning to an ARM MacBook this year — we reckon this could happen at WWDC, which would fall within Kuo’s predicted launch window of the first half of 2020.

Rounding out Kuo’s list of upcoming Apple products are a pair of wireless headphones and a small wireless charging mat. Don’t get your hopes up for AirPower, though — Apple was previously unable to overcome the engineering challenges of making a multi-device wireless charging mat where each device could be positioned anywhere on the pad, so this rumored product is likely to be much simpler.

We’ll bring you all the news on these products as and when they launch, so check back for more.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Alex Blake
Alex Blake
Computing Writer
In ancient times, people like Alex would have been shunned for their nerdy ways and strange opinions on cheese. Today, he…
Why gaming on the M3 MacBook Air has left me impressed
Baldur's Gate 3 being played on the M3 MacBook Air.

Upon getting the new MacBook Air M3 in my possession, I had one major question: Can you play games on it?

That might sound like a silly first thought for a laptop of this type. After all, it's not marketed as a gaming laptop -- it's an incredibly thin, fanless laptop. Not exactly something even meant for any high-performance tasks.

Read more
The MacBook Air M3 has one change that fixes its biggest flaw
The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

With surprisingly little fanfare — no spring event this time — Apple has dropped an update to the MacBook Air a bit sooner than expected. The incredibly thin MacBook Air 13- and 15-inch models both received updates to the Apple Silicon M3 chipsets, but that's not all.

There's one surprising new feature in the mix that could make a big difference in purchasing decisions: support for multiple monitors with the display closed. As this was the major complaint of the previous MacBook Air, this change is a pretty big deal. While it still supports only a total of two screens, it's a positive change for those that want to connect to two large, external monitors for work.

Read more
Whatever you do, don’t buy a MacBook Air right now
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air placed on a desk with its lid closed.

Got your eye on a shiny new MacBook Air? We can’t blame you, they're fantastic laptops. But before you pull the trigger, you should consider holding off for a few more weeks.

At some point in March, Apple is expected to unveil a new generation of the MacBook Air, either at an event or via a press release. This forthcoming laptop will reportedly come loaded with Apple’s new M3 chip, giving the MacBook Air a notable performance boost.

Read more