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

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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.

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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.”

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.

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Alex Blake
Alex Blake
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