Each New Year promises a few things: broken resolutions, a fresh
start for bad sports teams and a wave of new Apple gadgets. While you
can count on Cupertino to make annual improvements on its iPhones, iPads
and MacBooks, 2015 is shaping up to be the year Apple takes bona-fide
risks with its product lineup.
We already know that Apple is taking the fight to Android Wear with
the first-ever Apple Watch, but we're even more excited about what's
rumored to follow. An even-slimmer MacBook Air, a massive 12-inch iPad
and even a miniature iPhone 6 could all surface. Here's our Apple
forecast for 2015.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has been confirmed since September 2014, but that
doesn't make us any less eager to get one around our wrist. Apple's
debut wearable pairs with your iPhone to deliver a bite-size version of
iOS, one that brings your phone's calls, texts, navigation and even
cashless Apple Pay payments to the top of your wrist.
The device's sleek, rounded watch face is appropriately Apple, with
elastic, stainless steel and leather wristband models available to cater
to both sporty and fashion-first users. Smartwatches such as the LG G
Watch R and Samsung Gear 2 have impressed us, but we feel the Apple
Watch ($350 starting) will fully propel the wearable category into the
mainstream when it arrives early in 2015.
12-Inch MacBook Air with Retina Display
If the iPad Air 2 taught us anything, it's that Apple will find ways
to make its slimmest devices even slimmer. The company is reportedly
prepping a 12-inch Retina display version of its MacBook Air, complete
with a fanless design that's even thinner and lighter than the current
Air's 0.68-inch-thin, 2.38-pound frame.
The 12-inch Air could rely on an Intel Broadwell processor to power
the laptops' fanless construction, and is expected to ship in the same
color variants that adorn Apple's iPhones and iPads (Space Gray, Silver
and Gold). The notebook is rumored to borrow the MacBook Pro's 2560 x
1600 Retina display and Thunderbolt 2 port, and could introduce a new
type of MagSafe charging port. New Apple notebooks typically debut in
the middle of the year, so keep your eyes peeled for the revamped
MacBook Air toward summer or spring of 2015.
iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6s or iPhone 7
A new iPhone in 2015 is as guaranteed as the sky being blue, but this year's iPhone evolution could take on several forms.
If history repeats itself, this could be the year we see an iPhone 6s
that improves on the existing iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as a 6c
version for budget shoppers. One recently rumored
variation is an iPhone 6 Mini, which would bring the larger iPhone 6's
feature set to a 4-inch frame reminiscent of the iPhones of old.
Looking ahead at a potential iPhone 7, Macworld
speculates on new features such as a super-strong Sapphire glass
display and an extra-durable, liquid-metal chassis. Other rumors include
a possible 3D display, as well as a completely revamped dual-lens iSight camera that could rival your DSLR.
Macworld also entertains the possibility of there being two major iPhone
releases in 2015: an enhanced iPhone 6s model in the middle of the year
and an iPhone 7 during the smartphone's typical September release
window. Time will tell if that actually happens, but you can bet on at
least one brand new iPhone by this fall.
iPad Pro
While 2013 and 2014 were the years the iPad got strikingly slimmer,
2015 could be the year the iPad goes big. Apple has long been rumored to
be working on an "iPad Pro," which could tout a massive, 12.9-inch
display, a Touch ID fingerprint reader and a variation of Apple's zippy
A8 processor.
Apple's purported mega-tablet may arrive with a keyboard cover to
rival Microsoft's Surface, and has been rumored to run both iOS and OS X
for maximum productivity. Production of the iPad Pro was reportedly delayed due to high iPhone 6 Plus demand, so here's to hoping for a supersize Apple slate sometime in 2015.
More Retina iMacs
Apple released the sharpest iMac ever with last year's 27-inch 5K Retina display
model, and we expect to see that super-sharp resolution come to the
company's 21.5-inch desktops. Apple's smaller iMacs got a refresh last
summer, so look out for a 5K, 21.5-inch variation around the same time
this year.
Apple TV
Apple TV is long overdue for a refresh, and 2015 could finally be the
year it gets one. The next generation of Apple's set-top box could gain
Siri voice navigation, fully integrated games that don't require a
connected iOS device and a steady stream of channels to help the box
take on rival streaming devices like the Roku 3.
Apple TV's ace-in-the-hole could be its rumored built-in cable-TV
tuner, which could let you watch live TV without the need for a separate
cable box. Apple has reportedly been in talks with Comcast to bring
subscriber-only content to its set-top box, and Computer World has hypothesized a potential "unbundled" model in which viewers pay for specific channels or even shows instead of full cable packages.
Other rumored next-gen Apple TV features include integration with
Apple's HomeKit smart-home interface, as well as a possible re-design
that would shrink the device to the size of a Chromecast.
iOS 9 and OS X 10.11
While details are currently scarce, you can count on Apple to release
new software for both mobile and desktop devices by the end of 2015.
Several Apple patents have pointed to full public-transit integration
for Apple Maps, which could potentially debut as part of iOS 9.
Improvements to Apple Pay seem like a no-brainer for iOS 9, though it
would be nice to see Apple extend its support for the iPhone 6's NFC
chip beyond the phone's mobile wallet app.
The iPhone's camera is expected to get a big bump this year, and, in
turn, we expect new built-in shooting and editing options to complement
the new camera. As with every year, iOS 9 is likely to launch alongside
Apple's next iPhone in September.
2014's OS X Yosemite marked a major, iOS-style aesthetic shift for
Apple's Mac software, so we expect this year's upgrade to make tweaks to
that established foundation. Apple's Continuity — which lets your Mac
and iOS devices work together seamlessly — was a touted as one of
Yosemite's major new features, and we expect Apple to further bridge the
gaps among your iPhones, iPads and Macs in 2015. There's even the
long-standing rumor that Apple will merge iOS and OS X into one, but
Apple's executives told Macworld last year not to count on it.
credit: tomsguide
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