Apple ended 2019 on an incredible high, as yesterday’s earnings report showed. Today we may have learned a little more about how the company plans to keep that momentum going.
The prolific analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has attempted to shed a little more light on Apple’s plans for the Tile-rivalling AirTag, while reigniting previous speculation that a pair of premium Apple-branded over-ear headphones would launch to complement the existing Beats cans.
In an extensive note to investors, he also suggested – hold your breath – a potential return to the wireless charging realm following the failure of AirPower.
Let’s start with the AirTag trackers, long been rumoured to challenge the market pioneer, the Bluetooth-based Tile devices. According to Kuo, they will launch imminently, perhaps as soon as Apple’s rumoured launch event in March, failing that at WWDC.
Related: Apple AirTag latest
As previous reports have speculated, the tech will be powered by Apple’s U1 Ultra Wideband chip that appeared within the iPhone 11 range of smartphones, offering pinpoint location accuracy.
Next up are those premium Bluetooth headphones, first raised by a Bloomberg report back in 2018. Kuo says these are still on the agenda, despite numerous delays, later this year.
As for the return of AirPower, try not to get your hopes up. Kuo reckons Apple has been hard at work on a small charging mat that’ll still charge all of the same gadgets, just not all at the same time.
Kuo, who is perhaps the most quoted analyst with the best reputation, also elaborated on a previous prediction that Apple will launch an iPhone with Touch ID-based power button on the side of the device (via MacRumors). He now believes that phone will have an LCD display, boosting the idea it’ll be an affordable model and perhaps a follow up to the expected iPhone 9/SE 2.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.