Apple’s Spring Loaded Event Invitation.
Apple
Apple just announced an April 20 product event where new versions of the iPad Pro, AirTags tracking devices and more are expected to be announced. The event kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Apple could use the event to continue the boost that iPads have seen during the pandemic. In January, Apple reported $ 8.44 billion in iPad revenue for the fiscal first quarter, up 41% year-over-year. The new iPad Pros are expected to feature Apple’s latest and fastest processor and may include a new type of screen that uses mini-LED technology to produce better images for things like watching movies and viewing photos.
It’s a digital event, meaning it will be streamed online rather than held in person, due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. Last year, Apple updated the iPad Pro in March when it also introduced the Magic Keyboard, making it feel more like a laptop. It announced its second-generation AirPods in March 2019, so it’s possible they will be refreshed as well.
It has long been rumored that Apple is launching AirTags, a product similar to Tile that you can attach to items, such as keys, or put them in a bag, and track them with Apple’s Find My software that’s in iPads and iPhones built-in. Apple has tested a way to track these devices in its beta software for iPhones.
But Apple could use the event to introduce some new products. Other devices that may be refreshed include iMacs, which have not been updated to the new M1 processor.
Apple’s AirPods are the best-selling headphones in the world. It makes sense to refresh them to keep the momentum going as competitors are introducing similar products, often at lower prices. However, Apple’s top analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March that new AirPods may not be released until the third quarter of this year.
And finally: the Apple TV has had to wait a long time for an update. The Apple TV 4K, the current model, came out in 2017, but even that was a minor update to the version released in 2015. Bloomberg said in December that Apple is planning an update with a new remote control, an updated processor and a “gaming focus.”