Even more with miniLED in the next release. 5G and latest SoC too. Still $799 if it sticks around?
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Kuo: Mini-LED iPad and AirPods 3 Coming First Half of 2021
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Kuo has been saying there’s an 8.5” iPad mini coming next year. I’d expect the identical form factor. March 2021 will be two years since the mini 5. Could get more expensive if it gets the iPad Air treatment.
I just hope they release a 12” Pro and maybe a larger size than the 12.9” maybe like a 12” and 14” would be a perfect line up IMO...
The 11” is too small as a laptop and great as a tablet, and the 12.9 is the opposite, too big as a tablet and great as a laptop.
The 11” is too small as a laptop and great as a tablet, and the 12.9 is the opposite, too big as a tablet and great as a laptop.
MiniLED and 5G is not important for me - I'd be happy with just the current 11 Pro with an A14x, I'm waiting for that rather than buying the new Air as I want FaceId, ProMotion and more RAM. Everybody expects a price increase though if there's a new 11 Pro, I hope there is otherwise I'll have waited for nothing.
Don’t forget quad-speakers & ProMotion. I doubt it remains at $799. With mini-LED, I’m guessing it goes to $899
Assuming it won’t be discontinued, I think a price increase is inevitable. It’s really only $150 more than the Air right now (at the same SSD config).
Besides the quad speakers, ProMotion and FaceID/TrueDepth, there are plenty of other differences, including 6GB RAM (vs. 4GB), the LiDAR scanner, the rear ultra-wide camera, SSD capacities larger than 256GB, brighter screen, brighter flash and soon, the rumored mini-LED display.
All that is worth more than a $150 bump over the Air, so yeah $899 should really be expected. (The 2020 Pro added a lot of features and Apple no doubt took a hit by keeping it at $799, so it really is due.)
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Apple intends to launch an iPad with a mini-LED display and AirPods 3 with a design signature similar to AirPods Pro in the first half of next year, according to TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a research note to investors, seen by MacRumors, Kuo's latest predictions relate to the fortunes of Taiwanese manufacturer Career Technology, which is expected to be a key partner in the supply chain for Apple's products in 2021, thanks to its flexible soft board technology.
LCP (liquid crystal polymer) soft boards are said to offer a flexible way to connect components together while facilitating high-speed, low-latency data transfer. Career is expected to regain orders for acoustic and optical components in soft boards destined for a mini-LED iPad, which will be mass produced in the first half of 2021, according to the note.
Kuo said roughly eight months ago that Apple has six mini-LED products in its pipeline planned to launch though the end of 2021. The products include a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a 27-inch iMac Pro, a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 10.2.-inch iPad, and a 7.9-inch iPad mini.
However, Kuo has long predicted that a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a fourth quarter 2021 launch timeframe would likely be Apple's first mini-LED product, so this latest development appears to suggest that the analyst's expectations have changed.
As we've outlined in our guide on mini-LED technology, the displays use on the order of 1,000 to 10,000 individual LEDs that offer a number of improvements over traditional LED-backlit displays, coming close to performance of OLED displays without some of the drawbacks of that technology.
With regards to AirPods, the note reiterates Kuo's belief that Apple is working on third-generation AirPods that will go into mass production during the first half of 2021.
The new AirPods will adopt the System-in-Package used for the AirPods Pro, replacing the rigid-flex PCB+SMT design of the second-generation AirPods, and allowing for a form factor similar to the AirPods Pro, featuring a shorter stem and replaceable ear tips.
The AirPods 3 are expected to be more affordable and will lack higher-end features like Active Noise Cancellation. Battery life could be improved, though, and Apple is working on a new wireless chip.
Kuo says Career will obtain component orders for the AirPods 3, which is expected to significantly contribute to the supplier's revenue and profit from the second quarter of 2020.
Kuo's note also mentions that Apple intends to expand its use of soft board technology in next year's "iPhone 13," which is expected to save space and reduce manufacturing costs, with Career again projected to benefit from the wider adoption.
Article Link: Kuo: Mini-LED iPad and AirPods 3 Coming First Half of 2021
Definitely. Wouldn’t be surprised if price increases to $499
Boohoo, the rich boy is gonna be pissed it doesn’t get his toy.There better be a "new" 11 IPP.
If this thing gets killed to promote new Air4 even more, i'll be pissed.
Grow up..
Wonder what the plans are for the 11 inch as given how the new air looks exactly the same just lacking pro motion and ram.
are apple really ditching the pro 11 inch?
are apple really ditching the pro 11 inch?
So some say OLED is the best, while the blacks are incomparable, it does significantly drain the battery. On the new mini led backlit displays mentioned they use led lights instead which use less power, but should still produce vivid colors and deep blacks.
Why else would you have joined a rumors site! Tell us what you think! Or just parrot what you heard someone else say! But that would probably be so boring no one would bother replying! So choose wisely!
As a Mini user who just bought an Air, this is true, I would have chosen a full screen Mini in a heartbeat over the Air I just bought. The reality is though I would have bought the latest Mini if it supported an AP2. It may cannibalize some of the Air market but not much. I love my new Air but I use it about 1/4 as much as I used the Mini because it is too big and heavy. It will have a use but if I still had the Mini 4 I would reach for it over the new Air nine out of 10 times. I do agree it would proly be rebranded as a Pro Mini and cost more...
Never say never. Ming-Chi Kuo is confident a full-screen mini is coming some time next year. As for price, the iPad Air 4 got a $100 price vs the iPad Air 3 so if there is a full-size iPad mini in the works, I expect the same price increase ($399 to $499).
I don't have to consider, I use my iPad both personally and professionally. Yes, that's anecdotal, but you're just presenting speculation yourself.
I was excited about mini/micro LED but I've soured to the reality. Perhaps with enough investment/time it will become a thing (OLED certainly took longer to get to this point than pundits expected fifteen years ago). Meanwhile, there are developing OLED technologies that show a lot promise, like more resilient substrates and Qdot color filters, in overcoming OLED's weaknesses in burn-in and brightness. Regardless, I'd rather have an OLED then any mini LED screen I've seen so far on my iPad.
EDIT: my tone is maybe too confrontational. I'm not picking a fight. It would have been more polite to just ask for stats to back up your claims.
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Good catch, I mistyped. I meant to write mini LED. Still, mini LED is not without a lot of issues and compromises. The reality is that current examples don't get the promised efficiency and, while better, they still exhibit blooming and LCD-related artifacts.
My guess is Samsung. I believe they are the only one who makes OLED panels around that size (and at the level of quality Apple demands) and Apple would like to avoid working with them, or at least depending on them any more than they already do. That may be changing as BOE makes some panels for the iPhone 12 and LG Display is still trying.
Apple hate Samsung, pure and simple. If not for Samsung there would be no iPhone displays. I hear for the 12's it is BOE, whoever that is?
1000 LEDs is roughly 32 x 32, meaning on a 1000 x 768 (logical) screen you are having one every 25-30 pixels in each direction. So if you have a dark screen with some text, boxes, any kind of graphics basically, the LEDs light up where there are non-black pixels, which means you have 20-30 pixels of bleeding around the edges. I've got a TV with this feature, and the results are not pleasant. Even if they managed to go to 10000, you're still talking about 10 x 10 pixel areas per LED.