IPad upgrades, new Mac line-up likely
san francisco/seoul — Apple is developing new features for the iPad to cater to professional users, along with new Mac laptops and desktops, according to sources.
Upcoming software upgrades for the iPad include wider operating-system support for Apple’s stylus accessory, while hardware performance improvements are also in development. The refreshed Mac hardware line includes new versions of the iMac desktop, MacBook Air laptop and a 5K standalone monitor in collaboration with LG Electronics, in addition to a thinner MacBook Pro laptop.
The company hopes to ship the updated iPad software next year, while the Macs are expected as soon as late 2016, said the sources. Apple has not updated any Macs, besides the 12-inch MacBook, since last year.
While iPad unit sales have declined year over year for nine straight quarters, the average selling price jumped in the fiscal third quarter from purchases of pricier iPad Pro models. That produced the first increase in quarterly iPad revenue in more than two years. New features aimed at higher-paying professional customers could support this trend, while the goal of the Mac updates is to keep the line’s sales numbers stable.
Apple may roll out the new iPad software features as part of an upgrade to the iOS 10 operating system in the first half of 2017, or save the enhancements for the next major iOS version later in the year, said one of the sources.
The planned iPad update will include improvements to the Apple Pencil, a handwriting and drawing stylus aimed at professionals, according to one of the sources. Apple has considered allowing users to annotate objects in many applications across the whole operating system, including in Mail, the Safari web browser and iMessage, similar to what Samsung offers on its Note smartphones, the person said. Currently, Apple only supports Pencil functionality in specific apps.
The new iPad hardware will include faster display technology that allows for smoother zooming, panning and scrolling, one of the sources said.
Mac updates
While the new iPad features aren’t expected until next year, Apple plans to release some of the new Mac products in October, the sources said. The updated line includes tweaked MacBook Air devices with multi-functional USB-C port technology and iMacs with an option for new graphics chips from Advanced Micro Devices.
A thinner MacBook Pro with a flatter keyboard is also in the pipeline, sources told Bloomberg News. The standout feature is a digital function key display above the keyboard that allows for common tasks to be done more quickly for whatever programme is being used, according to people familiar with the upcoming product.
The new Macs are currently expected to be announced at a later date, the people said. — Bloomberg