Ming-Chi Kuo, a reliable supply chain analyst, has made quite a few predictions as we await the big Apple event on 12th September. The predictions have a long-range as diverse as the mid-sized iPhone “Xr”, new iPads and USB-C, the cheaper MacBook and Touch ID, the Apple Watch Series 4 and ECG, and more.
Among them, the one that shocks us is Apple’s probable shift from the Lightning connector to USB-C. While Kuo’s memo mentions both the new 2018 iPad Pro with USB-C (wow) and MacBook with Touch ID, it’s still unclear at this point if we’ll see the iPad and Mac on stage at Wednesday’s event or if the September 12 date will be dedicated to iPhone and Apple Watch.
The Lightning connector may not be the only thing that Apple ditches on the new 2018 iPad Pro. Kuo believes that Apple will bundle an 18W USB-C charger with its 2018 iPad Pros, up from the 5W adapter it currently bundles with them. This will allow for the Tablets to charge faster than usual.
It’s also believed that the headphone jack will be going away as well. This is a great matter of discontent for avid Apple lovers as they probably will have to switch to USB-C jacks or adapters for listening to music. The good thing is that the 2018 iPad Pro is rumored to feature Face ID.
The new low-cost MacBook from Apple will replace the existing 12-inch MacBook in its lineup. This new MacBook will feature Touch ID, though lacks TouchBar to keep its price in check.
Coming to the Apple Watch Series 4, which attracted us the most when rumored, Kuo believes them to be of slimmer bezels and will support ECG (Electrocardiography). Besides, the company is supposed to use ceramic back on all models.
Talking about Apple’s new iPhone member, Kuo says that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone could launch slightly later than the OLED models in “late Sep/early Oct due to quality issues of assembly and display.” In a separate report today, Bloomberg claims that Apple has considered branding this iPhone as the “iPhone XR.” which is pretty odd a name if you think.
Kuo’s memo doesn’t give us much more than we had already gathered; however, his prediction about Apple’s shift from Lightning to USB-C, if true, will have both positive repercussions both in the Apple ecosystem and the macro tech world. Let’s glue our brains to Apple September 2018 event on this Wednesday to get our questions answered.
