“Apple is hosting a press event in Brooklyn on Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET where it’s expected to announce new iPads and Macs,” Todd Haselton reports for CNBC. “Apple is expected to announce at least one new iPad Pro on Tuesday. The standard 9.7-inch iPad was refreshed back in March of this year, but Apple so far hasn’t updated last year’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro or the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.”
“According to well-sourced TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who correctly predicted this year’s iPhone lineup, Apple will launch a new iPad Pro with an 11-inch screen to replace the 10.5-inch model,” Haselton reports. “Kuo said in March that Apple has been working on a new, cheaper MacBook Air to replace the current model [perhaps dropping the “Air” for just “MacBook].
“Apple is also expected to announce a new professional version of the Mac Mini,” Haselton reports. “A Pro model will offer “new storage and processor options,” according to Bloomberg. That suggests the latest Intel processors and faster, but more expensive, solid state storage may be included.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: AirPower? AirPods next-gen charing case? Other surprises?
More than any product I’d like to hear Cook say this:
“Apple is committed to the Mac and Mac professional users and Apple will update both the hardware and software on a timely basis to make sure Mac Pro users have the best and most capable products to use at all times.”
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If I may quote two well known philosophers, Cheech and Chong, “Wake up America your Dreaming”. This is from C & C’s “Wedding Album”, which has the immortal hit song: “Earache my Eye”. 🙂
“Apple is committed to the Mac and Mac professional users and Apple will update both the hardware and software on a timely basis to make sure Mac Pro users have the best and most capable products to use at all times.”
I will emphatically second that!
The least iPad Cook can do is remember Apple’s roots and dance with the one that brung you.
Hopefully, he gets it by now and fingers crossed…
Mostly so far it’s been:
“Apple is somewhat committed to certain Macs but not others like for Mac professional users and Apple will update both the hardware and software on a timely basis (every 4-6 years for us) related to our basic corporate apathy on Macs now in general to make sure Mac Pro users especially continue to suffer and contemplate switching to PC’s, which most of their smarter pro brethren have done already. (Ask us if we care…)”
I’d argue it’s mostly:
“Rather that just regularly rev’ing products with newer processors, memory, and storage in the same form factor, we will continue to do an absolute complete overhaul of each computer on an irregular schedule. Sure, we could just upgrade the guts of the thing, but what’s the fun in that when we can create a new housing, fan, power system, material, footprint, size, weight, and… of course… change up the USB ports.”
While Cook sits on his thumbs, his corporate partner IBM has swooped up Red Hat. How ironic. Apple could be a dominant player in secure enterprise quality hardware and software. Cook blabs on and on about how privacy and security supposedly set Apple apart from everyone else. But the backbones of a huge percentage of company infrastructure, including Apple, is Linux. Windows, the second most valuable company on the planet, also has a dominant share of enterprise level computing software (no hardware), they are not known for being inherently easy to use or secure, and they still blow Apple out of the water in profits on the business side.
What gives, Apple? Do you honestly believe your “Other” products businesses are as lucrative as professional hardware and software? If they were, you wouldn’t hide their actual financial results on your earnings reports. Are you actually satisfied with the Mac losing premier developers as it staggers along with a horrible product mix at inflated prices?
If Apple wants to avoid being marginalized as a fashion company subject to the whims of consumer fads, it would be wise for Apple to reestablish itself as a maker of premier server grade hardware and software, constantly fresh workstations, and a reliable business partner for premier developers.
Put up or shut up Cook.
“While Cook sits on his thumbs, his corporate partner IBM has swooped up Red Hat.”
That speaks volumes.
“it would be wise for Apple to reestablish itself as a maker of premier server grade hardware and software”
Wise, yes. But Apple cannot even make a powerful competitive Mac Pro in five years. Sad to say, by all accounts the server ship sailed long ago…
What defines what a “pro” level Mac mini is?
It’s not likely such a device will be presented… except as a model designation. In my experience, calling something “pro” doesn’t make it so.
Upping specs and/or altering form-factor aren’t going to be enough. In addition, it would (at the very least) have to return to a user upgradeable ram/HDD configuration.
Extremely doubtful Apple is going to do that.
A Mini with an i9 would be Pro. Throw in replaceable RAM, SSD, and video card and you’d have the best selling computer in America. 🙂
Mini is the opposite of Pro.
When the Mini had 2 drive bays it made a decent cheap small server, but it’s always been thermally challenged, just like everything Apple builds now. It has only gotten worse as Apple insists on removing functions and connections for vanity.
If you want a Mini Pro, it’s sold today, people call it the Trashcan. The rest of us want big powerful zero excuses internally expandable repairable powerful versatile Mac Pro workstations. Apple forgot how to do that in 2012. I have very little hope that current Apple leadership cares. They are chasing subscriptions from the ios app store, they don’t care about content creators or scientists.