What to Expect From Apple in 2018: Three New iPhones and iPad Pro With Face ID, HomePod, Refreshed Macs, and More

[MacRumors]

Like 2017, 2018 promises to be a major year for Apple, with many new products on the horizon. We'll get Apple's first smart speaker -- the HomePod -- this year, along with a second-generation version of the iPhone X accompanied by a larger-screened version for those who want to go even bigger.

A new iPad Pro with Face ID is said to be in the works, and this is also the year when Apple's AirPower wireless charging mat will debut. Beyond that, we can expect Mac refreshes, new software, a new Apple Watch, and maybe that new modular Mac Pro.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Below, we've rounded up all of the products we're expecting to see from Apple in 2018 based on both current rumors that we've heard so far and past release information.

HomePod - Early 2018

HomePod is Apple's first Wi-Fi connected smart speaker, designed to compete with existing smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and the Google Home. It was originally meant to debut in December, but Apple delayed its launch to an unspecified date in "early 2018."

With HomePod, Apple focused on sound quality, with a 7 tweeter array, each with its own driver, and a 4-inch upward-facing woofer for crisp, distortion free sound. An A8 chip powers spatial awareness features, allowing the HomePod to analyze a room and then adjust the sound accordingly.

Siri is built into HomePod, and there's integration with Apple Music for Apple Music subscribers. Using a six-microphone array, HomePod can detect Siri commands from anywhere in a room, so Siri can be used to play music, answer queries, and more.

We don't know exactly when HomePod will be released, but it should come out in the first few months of 2018. Apple plans to charge $349 for the speaker.

Read more about HomePod in our HomePod roundup.

Three New iPhones - September 2018

Apple introduced three iPhones in 2017 -- the iPhone X, the iPhone 8, and the iPhone 8 Plus -- and current rumors suggest we'll also see three new models in 2018.

The first iPhone we're expecting will be a followup to the iPhone X with the same 5.8-inch OLED display. Rumors suggest it will be accompanied by a second OLED iPhone, this one measuring in at 6.5 inches, which means it can be thought of as an "iPhone X Plus."

Alongside these two OLED iPhones, Apple is also said to be planning to introduce a 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD display, positioned as a more affordable device targeting the low-end and midrange markets with a starting price of $649 to $749 in the United States.

Apple's planned 2018 iPhone lineup, via Ming-Chi Kuo​

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, all three of these iPhones will feature edge-to-edge displays, Face ID, and TrueDepth camera systems, which means the end of both the Home button and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in new iPhone models for the time being.


Click here to read rest of article...

Article Link: What to Expect From Apple in 2018: Three New iPhones and iPad Pro With Face ID, HomePod, Refreshed Macs, and More

 

[rajat8676]

Would be good if Apple could get the HomePod and Airpower out quickly.

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[justperry]

That macPro picture again, the screen will fall over, and the MacPro won't look anything like that.

And, a white mouse and keyboard!

 

[Avieshek]

I came here for the MacPro.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Really curious about the 6.1” “low-cost” iPhone as well as the naming convention for 2018.

 

[laurim]

I came here for the MacPro.

Me too. That’s all I care about right now.

 

[The Weatherman]

Apple refreshes the iMac on a yearly basis

*Spits coffee everywhere* Sorry, what?!

 

[Reywrap]

Wow, great article, great info, great year ahead in 2018.

I'm hoping for a replacement for my 27" screen. Perfect opportunity for Apple to introduce a curved screen in a context that really makes sense, ie one user, instead of on TVs where they make limited sense.

Also hoping for FaceID on my Mac Pro.

 

[justperry]

*Spits coffee everywhere* Sorry, what?!

They skipped only one year as you can see here.

 

[MarkB786]

Buy your iPad now. A notch on the Pad would be horrible. Plus, being able to unlock it in horizontal mode would be critical. Does that mean two notches (or maybe three so you can unlock it horizontally with either edge up??).

 

[Sasparilla]

Awesome year ahead and great overview.

Have to say I think Apple management is missing the forest for the trees with the ~$350 Homepod. The world is buying these (<$100 Amazon Echo and Google Home) as their base for continuous verbal communication to the computer ecosystem. Apple needs to get after the cheaper end of the market as well and push the fact they're the only ones not wanting to data mine the heck out of everything you say to sell you something.

 

[travelsheep]

More exciting than the weather forecast for Alaska.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Is there any way to add a "Read More" link to posts like these?

This article is soooo long on the front page.

 

[triptolemus]

It takes courage to defy the laws of physics like that! 2018 is gonna be awesome!

 

[richinaus]

I think we will see products more spread in the year -

March - MacBook Pro and MacBook updates
June - MacOS / iOS
September - Phones / iPad
October - iMac and possible Mac Pro.

 

[78Bandit]

"Apple is also said to be planning to introduce a 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD display, positioned as a more affordable device targeting the low-end and midrange markets with a starting price of $649 to $749 in the United States."

Up until this year that was flagship price. A brand new iPhone 7 was $649 at launch and the 7 Plus was $769. My definition of low-end and midrange tops out at $500. Anything above that ought to be considered a premium device and the $1,000+ iPhone X is a luxury.

My hope is the $700 LCD is basically an iPhone 8S with a minimal-bezel screen. Not too worried about having the absolute best cameras, but I would expect the A12 chipset to power it. I'm not heading to Android just because it has an LCD screen but I do expect performance and function to be competitive with other manufacturers' $700 offerings.

 

[wolfshades]

Almost bought an iPhone X to replace my 6 Plus, then decided what I had was good enough; I just needed a new battery. Now that I've got one, I'm looking forward to getting the X Plus next year. And maybe the Apple Watch 4 to go with it.

 

[npmacuser5]

If Apple would just announce.... They are now consulting on all product development with MacRumors Forums, best Product development ever.

 

[the future]

What to NOT expect: a bezel-less 9-inch iPad mini with Pencil support.

Why not? You never know.

 

[scrapesleon]

Mac mini we need u

 

[xbankaiz]

An entirely questionable and unverified rumor from Indian site Tekz24 has said the next iPhone SE will include an A10 chip, 10GB RAM...

Yep

 

[redgreenski]

iPhone without a notch please. Otherwise I’m getting whatever model that doesn’t have one.

 

[asdavis10]

Mac Pro and Mac mini will be the most exciting products by far next year. iPhone, iPad, Appel Watch, etc will all be iterative. iOS and, specifically, macOS should be major next year.

 

[JohnnyApple$eed]

2018: I expect a small settlement paid all owners of an iPhone 6 and newer that has the same battery. I'm not being snooty, I'm being serious. I think this is not going to go well for Apple and the start of 2018 is going to be rough.

While Samsung and Apple's strategies were different for dealing with power issues on their respective devices Apple did not disclose the matter like Samsung did. And the latter did it with power management after a recall was issued.

I personally have an iPhone 6 and the battery issue was documented by Apple twice. The issue magically went away in iOS10 but brought the issues of what a downgraded performance which was also documented. However, never was it told to me to that this was down by Apple without my knowledge or say in the matter. It's going to be a rough start for them.