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Apple has officially revealed April 20 as the date of its next unveiling event.
The date was first revealed by the firm’s digital assistant Siri, before it was confirmed to MailOnline by Apple later on Tuesday.
Upon being asked ‘When is the next Apple Event?’, Siri says ‘The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. You can get all the details on Apple.com.’
Later on Tuesday, Apple confirmed the date with a press invite entitled ‘Spring Loaded’, with a time of 10:00 PDT (18:00 BST).
Apple is expected to unveil the new fifth-generation iPad Pro, AirPods and AirTags – its long-rumoured high-tech tag device for tracking everyday items.
It’s expected to livestream the unveiling event online without an in-person audience, like its recent events, due to the current pandemic.
Upon being asked ‘When is the next Apple Event,’ Siri says ‘The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA
Apple has since confirmed the date and time (April 20, 18:00 BST) in a press invite entitled ‘Spring Loaded’
The premature announcement from Siri was noticed by MacRumors, whose staff and readers had found it ‘across Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and HomePod’.
It’s unknown whether it was an accidental slip or a deliberate reveal on behalf of the US tech giant.
According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to showcase two new iPad Pro models – one larger model measuring 12.9 inches and featuring new mini-LED display technology.
Mini-LEDs are like ordinary LEDs, but much smaller, which makes it possible to pack in thousands more of them into a display.
The extra light sources makes screens substantially brighter and creates more vibrant and nuanced colours, thanks to the greater combination of lights made possible by the higher LED count.
But Bloomberg has also reported possible supply issues for the larger iPad Pro, citing ‘people familiar with the matter’, meaning it will initially be available in ‘constrained quantities’.
According to Japanese site Mac Otakara, citing Chinese supply chain sources, new fifth-generation iPad Pro will be available in the same sizes as its predecessor – 11-inch and 12.9-inch.
But only the 12.9-inch model will come with Apple’s new mini-LED display technology, according to Bloomberg.
Mac Otakara has also previously said the fifth-generation will have a ‘significantly improved’ processor from the Apple A12Z in the fourth generation.
Apple is expected to livestream the April 20 unveiling event online without an in-person audience, like its recent events, due to the current pandemic
Other sources cited by MacRumors have also suggested Apple will also release new iPad Pro models with mini-LED displays and faster processors.
Several respected leakers had previously marked March 23 in the diary for the Apple event – but this date came and went with no trace of any announcements.
As well as the iPad Pro models, Apple is also expected to unveil AirTags and third-generation AirPods.
AirTags are expected to be small, circular devices with an Apple logo in the centre, possibly equipped with Bluetooth connectivity.
The small circular tracking tags would help users find any personal item that has an AirTag attached – such as wallets, keys, luggage or even a stolen bicycle – by using a map on the ‘Find My’ app.
Apple is expected to unveil a new iPad Pro, AirPods and AirTags on March 23. AirTags are Apple’s rumoured tracking system for the ‘Find My’ app. Each will be small, circular and made to be attached to everyday items (pictured here in supposed leak previously published by MacRumors)
Find My lets people track the whereabouts of their Apple devices, such as iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods, in case they get lost – but AirTags will extend this to other everyday, non-electronic items.
If the lost item is in the vicinity, such as around the house somewhere, users would be able to click an option for the AirTag to emit a noise to help them locate it, just like items already supported by the Find My app.
If the lost item with an AirTag attached was further afield – for example, if it were accidentally left in a bar in the next town – users could find it on the map.
If the item was stolen, the owner could potentially find out the address of the person who took it, as long as it still had the AirTag attached.
Rumours that Apple is developing item tracking tags first surfaced in September 2019 when MacRumors released leaked screenshots of a new ‘Items’ tab in the ‘Find My’ app.
Rumours that Apple is developing item tracking tags first surfaced in September 2019 when MacRumors released leaked screenshots of an item-tracking sub menu being developed for the ‘Find My’ app
The product was reportedly given the code-name ‘B389’ during its development but is expected to be sold under the name ‘AirTags’
It’s believed personal items like keys and wallets that have AirTags attached to them will show up under the ‘Items’ tab on the app.
In April last year, Apple mistakenly uploaded a support video to YouTube that revealed the existence of AirTags, which was quickly removed.
The video, entitled ‘How to erase your iPhone’, mentioned AirTags in a shot of Settings for the Find My app.
In April last year, Apple mistakenly uploaded a support video to YouTube that revealed the existence of AirTags, which was quickly removed
Apple is also expected to reveal its third-generation AirPods – the wireless Bluetooth headphones that come with their own charging case.
The second-gen AirPods, which were unveiled two years ago, start at £159. AirPods Pro, with additional noise cancellation technology and water resistance, cost £249.
According to MacRumors, Apple is working on more affordable ‘entry-level’ AirPods – albeit with a lack of higher-end features like active noise cancellation.
Apple is already pushing consumers towards AirPods. iPhone 12, released last October, didn’t include a pair of standard wired headphones (EarPods) in the box, unlike its predecessors, prompting outrage from some buyers.
Cheaper AirPods will therefore come as good news for iPhone fans – although consumers can still buy EarPods for an extra £19.
The decision not to include wired EarPods in the box of the iPhone 12 should turn consumers towards its £250 AirPods Pro (left) and AirPods (right)
Apple is not expected to unveil any phones at the April 20 event.
Even though the iPhone 13 is not due until the autumn, analysts have already been trading rumours about what it will look like.
In January, it was reported by the Twitter tipster Mauri QHD that Apple has created a prototype iPhone without the black ‘notch’.
The rectangular black notch, which has featured on flagship iPhone models since 2017, conceals the phone’s front-facing camera components and sensors.
iPHONE 13 RUMOURS
NO NOTCH?
Apple is considering ditching the black ‘notch’ at the top of the iPhone for its next flagship model, the iPhone 13, according to an online tipster.
The rectangular black notch, which has featured on flagship iPhone models since 2017, conceals the phone’s front-facing camera components and sensors.
Pictured, the iPhone 12 marking out the notch and the bezel. Zero bezel effectively means the device’s screen blends seamlessly into the edges of the device. The notch’s days may soon be numbered on the iPhone, according to Mauri QHD, an Apple tipster on Twitter
But according to the tipster, who goes by the name Mauri QHD on Twitter, Apple has created an iPhone 13 prototype with no notch at all.
The prototype instead puts these important components at the top of the bezel, the border between a screen and a phone’s frame.
‘There’s a prototype with no notch at all, but – a bit – bigger bezels,’ Mauri QHD tweeted.
All four sides of bezel on the prototype ‘are equally bigger’, he added, meaning the top part of the bezel won’t stick out further than the others.
The sensor-housing notch was first introduced to the iPhone with 2017’s iPhone X – but was mercilessly lambasted by critics and fans alike as a terrible design flaw.
Apple’s phone-making rival Samsung even mocked the notch in an ad for its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone at the time, featuring a man with a notch-shaped haircut.
RETURN OF TOUCH ID
A report in January indicated that iPhone 13 would see the return of its Touch ID technology, in the form of an in-screen fingerprint reader.
This would help users unlock their smartphones without having to remove their face masks during the current pandemic.
According to Bloomberg, instead of reintroducing a Home button, the Touch ID technology would be embedded within the new iPhone screen
Apple first introduced Touch ID in 2013 with the iPhone 5S, in the form of a fingerprint reader integrated into the iPhone’s home button.
However, Apple started to move away from this technology in 2017, with the introduction of Face ID in the iPhone X.
According to Bloomberg, instead of reintroducing a Home button, the Touch ID technology would be embedded within the iPhone 13 screen.
Rather than being a replacement for Face ID, Touch ID would be an additional method of unlocking the iPhone, according to the report.
CAMERA UPGRADES
iPhone 13 models will feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera lens with a wider ƒ/1.8 aperture, compared to ƒ/2.4 on iPhone 12 models, according to an investor note shared with MacRumors.
The site said in February: ‘A wider aperture would allow for more light to pass through the lens.
‘The move from a ƒ/2.4 to ƒ/1.8 aperture [will] likely to result in significantly improved low-light performance when shooting in Ultra Wide mode on iPhone 13 models.’
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