14 Exciting New Things Coming from Apple in 2021 (and Beyond)

AirTags

Perhaps the most anticipated product that didn't materialize in 2020 were Apple's much-rumoured AirTags item tracking tags. With code for the devices found in the early iOS 13 betas in the spring of 2019, followed by the new U1 chip in Apple's fall 2019 iPhone 11 lineup, most oddsmakers would have placed strong bets on the AirTags materializing early last year, but of course that didn't happen, and when three fall 2020 Apple events came and went with nary a mention of the tags, it became even more of a mystery as to what Apple was up to.

Although Apple continues to develop underlying code to support the item tracking tags, it now appears to have gotten far broader in scope, with plans to embrace third-party item trackers as part of a new Find My Network that Apple announced at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference. In fact, all the code and set up screens that we've seen in recent iOS 14.x updates are much more generic, with no specific references at all to Apple's own AirTags.

Our guess? Apple has AirTags ready to go, but with competitors like Tile already rattling the cages of antitrust authorities, Apple has decided it's not worth poking the bear on this one by releasing its own product before it's invited third parties to play along.

A Powerful New Apple TV

We've often pondered whether Apple's set-top box has every truly made it out of the "hobby" status that it began with back in 2007; while the fourth-generation Apple TV released in 2015 seemed like Apple was finally beginning to take the device more seriously, thanks to a whole new tvOS operating system and an App Store ecosystem, it's largely languished since, receiving a minor upgrade in 2017 to add 4K support and then.... nothing.

Although last year's debut of Apple Arcade seemed like an ideal time for the company to debut a more powerful version of the set-top box, it looks like Apple may have even bigger plans in mind, with recent rumours suggesting that what's on the horizon is more than merely a refresh — it could in fact be Apple's first attempt to create a serious big-screen gaming device.

Reports suggest that Apple is working on an A14X version of the Apple TV, which is also expected to feature a redesigned Siri Remote that includes "Find My" support, and could even come with an Apple-designed game controller. While there's little solid information on Apple's specific plans for the box right now, it would certainly be a good way to try and bring Apple Arcade into the mainstream.

More Apple Silicon

Late last year, Apple introduced the first core silicon of its own design in the form of the M1, impressing everybody with the insane amount of power it was capable of delivering just in Apple's entry-level MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

It's a development that's left us salivating for more. After all, if the M1 already outperforms the most expensive 16-inch MacBook Pro — at least in single-core performance — just imagine what the next-generation of Apple Silicon can do.

Apple has said that the full transition from Intel to Apple Silicon could take a couple of years, but that means that 2021 will likely be the banner year, during which we'll almost certainly see the higher-end MacBook Pro models get an "M1X" or "M2" version of the chip, quite likely accompanied by an updated iMac as well with the desktop-class chip that Apple is said to be working on already.

The bigger question? An iMac Pro or a Mac Pro featuring Apple Silicon. While that could happen in 2021 as well, our best guess is that these will come on the tail end of the transition, particularly since most of the real "Pro" market for these machines — large animation and video production houses like Disney and Pixar — are a bit less likely to jump on a whole new architecture right out of the gate.

New AirPods

2020 was a fairly quiet year for Apple's mainstream AirPods, which saw no updates from the prior 2019 models, although of course the company made an even bigger splash with the late-season announcement of its AirPods Max premium over-ear headphones.

Apple's Beats division also didn't sit still, with new Powerbeats and Beats Flex adding more wallet-friendly options to the mix of W1/H1 capable earphones, rounding out its overall product line quite nicely.

Unlike the three-year gap between the first two generations of AirPods, however, most reports suggest that 2021 will be the year of more AirPods updates, with new third-generation AirPods expected to adopt an "AirPods Pro Lite" style of design, offering in-ear passive noise isolation without the active noise cancellation features. For the second-gen AirPods Pro, which could arrive later in 2021, Apple is also said to be working on a design that will see the stems eliminated entirely.

To throw one other wildcard into the mix, there's also the possibility that a lower-cost "sport" version of Apple's AirPods Max could come onto the scene. Rumours abounded last year that AirPods Max were supposed to come in two versions, and there was even the possibility of interchangeable parts, but when only the single $549 model debuted, we weren't sure if Apple had abandoned its plans for a lower-cost version due to some of the production problems it ran into, or if it's simply been holding off on it for a later release.

More 5G

Now that Apple's iPhone 12 lineup has broken new ground in 5G technology, it stands to reason that all future iPhones will follow suit, but we're also expecting at least one 5G-capable iPad next year — likely an iPad Pro — and there's even a faint possibility that the technology could come to an Apple MacBook.

Apple will also likely expand the "iPhone 13" lineup next year to add the ultra-fast mmWave 5G into other markets beyond the U.S., as carriers around the globe begin to adopt the higher and faster frequencies.

While it's still an open question whether we'll see the iPhone SE gain 5G support, there are also rumours of an iPhone SE Plus on the horizon, which could make a great proving ground for affordable 5G for iPhone users.

Mini-LED Displays

Apple has been working on Mini-LED display technology for at least a couple of years now, and early last year reliable analysts suggested that it was planning to release at least six new products that would incorporate the technology, mostly made up of Macs and iPads.

While Apple's iPhones have gone all-in on OLED now, Mini-LED offers a better compromise for larger screens, since they provide many of the same benefits of OLED at a much lower cost, especially at scale. Most reports point to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro gaining the new technology first, followed by redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. The 11-inch iPad Pro, on the other hand, might just stick with the Liquid Retina LCD, at least until Apple's ready to take the iPads into OLED territory.

Cool New Mac Designs

We've been on the cusp of a major redesign for Apple's MacBooks and iMac for a couple of years now, and in fact many were expecting the late 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro to lead the way into the new era.

Of course, with the advent of Apple Silicon, it now seems clear that Apple is saving its new designs for its M1/M1X/M2 machines, and although the first M1 Macs out of the gate haven't yet been redesigned, it's safe to say that the new designs will be coming in 2021 with the second-generation of M1 MacBooks and the first real "Pro" Apple Silicon machines.

This would include a new 14-inch MacBook Pro, the much-rumoured redesigned 16-inch MacBook Pro, and likely a whole new iMac design for the first time in almost a decade.

With the first M1 MacBook Air and entry-level MacBook Pro, it's likely that Apple wanted to make sure the focus was on the Apple Silicon, and not the rest of the hardware. Plus, by avoiding a whole redesign, it was abundantly clear that all the performance advantages of the new Macs came from the M1 chip and not anything else that Apple had done.

New iPads

It's hard to predict Apple's iPad updates with any real certainty these days, but it's fair to say that in the very least 2021 should feature new iPad Pro models, with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro gaining a Mini-LED display.

With Apple's iPad Air now featuring the fastest chip in the iPad lineup — the same A14 found in the iPhone 12 series — it's pretty much a given that the iPad Pro will rise to at least the same specs, although an "A14X" seems more likely. Both models may also gain 5G wireless capabilities, and possibly new 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E technology.

Whether the fourth-generation iPad Air will get updated in the coming year is less clear, since the late 2020 release was already a major redesign, and it came 18 months after Apple resurrected the iPad Air name to create a mid-tier iPad entry. The same could also be said for Apple's entry-level iPad, although it seems to have moved back to an annual cycle of relatively modest fall updates.

The dark horse in this race? The iPad mini. While it seems likely Apple is working on a sixth-generation model of its diminutive tablet, there are few solid reports of what it might actually look like, or when it could be coming out.

It's still a popular enough size for Apple to keep it in the lineup, and our take is that much like the early 2019 release of the iPad Air 3 and iPad mini 5 the next version will likely borrow much from the 11-inch iPad Air, including an edge-to-edge display and a home button Touch ID sensor. There are also rumours of a mini-LED display for it, but we'd take those with a much larger dose of salt — especially in light of the fact that the 11-inch iPad Pro may not even be getting there anytime soon.

The Apple Watch Series 7

With an annual release cycle for its popular wearable, it's almost certain that Apple will have a new Apple Watch Series 7 next year, but right now we know very little about what that might include.

Certainly with Apple's recent focus on health features, it stands to reason that it's working on even better sensors for things like sleep tracking, blood pressure monitoring, and more, but reports as to exactly what have been sparse and mostly speculative.

Of less certainty is what Apple will do with the Apple Watch SE. Certainly, an Apple Watch SE 2 could come, but it's also equally possible that Apple may simply leave the 2020 model in the lineup as a lower-cost option, updating it less frequently than the flagship Apple Watch.

The 'iPhone 13'

Not surprisingly, we've heard more about Apple's 2021 iPhone lineup already than all the rest of its product plans combined, although many of the rumours are still in the nascent stages, with either very few confirmed details or things that Apple may be prototyping but hasn't formally decided on yet.

These include more mundane things like Wi-Fi 6E support and a smaller notch design along with an even better camera system and new 120Hz display technology.

Of these, the new display technology seems like the only thing that's a pretty certain bet right now, since by all reports Apple was trying to get it into the iPhone 12 Pro this year, but had to abandon those plans at the eleventh hour after running into supply issues — a problem that will certainly be solved by next year.

This would almost certainly improve battery life, but could also open the door to an always-on display that would allow the iPhone to at least show the time and other less frequently updated information, and would almost certainly be a bonus for users of Apple's MagSafe Leather Sleeve. In fact, we suspect the Leather Sleeve, which had the iPhone 12 display the time and other status info through its small window, was likely designed with these low-power LTPO displays in mind.

The "iPhone 13" cameras are almost certain to be improved, but by how much remains to be seen. The most reliable rumours right now point to a significantly upgraded ultra-wide camera while some wilder ones suggest Apple could go with a four-lens system and even push the megapixel counts much higher.

iPhone SE ‘Plus’

Last year Apple released the second iteration of its popular 2016 iPhone SE — a new budget iPhone that mirrored its predecessor in name and concept only, rather than overall design. While the 2016 iPhone SE had been a refresh of the 2013 iPhone 5s, the 2020 iPhone SE similarly took the 2017 iPhone 8 and brought it up to the latest A13 processor, while changing little else.

Meanwhile, the larger iPhone 8 Plus simply fell by the wayside, leaving fans of the older Home button and Touch ID iPhone design with only a single 4.7-inch option.

However, rumours continued throughout 2020 that Apple has a larger iPhone SE Plus in the works as well, and since it's hard to imagine Apple waiting a year simply to release a larger version, there's been speculation — and some evidence — that the next-generation of the iPhone SE will likely have more in common with the recent 11-inch iPad Air: an edge-to-edge display — likely still Liquid Retina rather than OLED — plus a Touch ID sensor embedded in the side button.

Our guess is that this may not even be an "iPhone SE Plus" so much as simply the next generation of iPhone SE. An edge-to-edge screen would allow Apple to push the screen size up to around 5.8 inches without changing the physical dimensions — much like it did with the original iPhone and its successors — and it's extremely unlikely that Apple would split the "SE" lineup with two such radically different models, so we suspect that either this new one replaces the 2020 iPhone SE or it becomes something entirely different, like the "iPhone XE" that we heard being kicked around a couple of years ago. There are also at least some reports that suggest we won't see it until early 2022, which would seem to make the former scenario — that it replaces the 2020 iPhone SE — seem much more likely.

A Folding iPhone

Reports of Apple's efforts to create a foldable iPhone go back to at least 2016, and while other smartphone makers have beaten Apple to the punch, there's no doubt that the iPhone maker is determined to do it right, and it sounds like it's on the leading edge of something great.

While it's still not certain that we'll see a folding iPhone this year, it's clear that Apple has pushed its efforts from the drawing board to actual prototyping and assessment, and two of its different hinged designs have already passed initial testing with promising results, so Apple is clearly ready to enter the next stages of actually building a folding iPhone, although with several designs on the table, we don't know what form that's going to take.

There's a remote possibility that this could be the year of the folding iPhone, although in reality it more likely won't come until 2022 or even 2023.

Apple Glass

Apple's AR/VR headset project has become one of its worst-kept secrets, except that we still have no clear idea of exactly what it is that Apple is going to come up with. By every report over the past year or so, Apple is working on two different devices — an immersive headset that would likely be more geared toward gaming and other AR/VR applications, which will likely be followed by a set of augmented reality glasses that are aimed more toward everyday casual wear.

Notwithstanding some really crazy rumours and speculation last spring, we weren't holding our breath about even seeing a preview of Apple's actual spectacles anytime soon — most reports are pegging a 2022 release for the headset, followed by a 2023 release for the glasses. In fact, Jon Prosser's suggestion of a 'Steve Jobs Heritage Edition' of Apple Glass was so out there that it wouldn't have surprised us if the well-known leaker was simply trolling.

That said, 2021 could be the year we actually see Apple unveil a preview of its first augmented reality product. Getting developer buy-in is going to be important, so showing it off at an event like WWDC isn't entirely out of the question, and there's tons of precedent for Apple to debut a revolutionary product in advance of it going on sale — it happened with the original iPhone in 2007, the Apple Watch in 2014, and the HomePod in 2017, to name just a few.

The Apple Car

Perhaps Apple's biggest "moonshot" project is the Apple Car, which it's been working on since at least 2014, and by most reports will likely take another four years before it sees the light of day.

That said, we did see some reports of some pretty significant progress last year, especially toward the end of 2020 that gives us some hope that maybe we could at least see Apple start talking about the project sooner rather than later.

For instance, Apple has now officially moved the Apple Car into its AI division, which suggests that it's solved all the hardware engineering problems, and is putting all of its efforts into the autonomous self-driving side. Of course, that doesn't mean that hardware is entirely ready, but the big technical design challenges have likely been addressed, and now it's just a matter of refinements, tweaking, prototyping, and actual manufacturing.

A fairly sketchy supply chain rumour suggested that the Apple Car could be coming in late 2021, at least in preview form, but we think that's probably the most unlikely of all Apple rumours we heard last year — second only to the 'Steve Jobs Heritage Edition' Apple Glass — as pretty much every other analyst on the planet agrees that Apple is far from ready. A subsequent report says the first consumer model won't be available until 2024, while veteran Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who had originally predicted a 2023–2025 timeframe has since revised his own earlier estimate to 2025–2028.

So if there's any truth at all to the rumours of a 2021 Apple Car announcement — and we really don't think there is — it's unlikely to be anything more than a very early concept preview. However, that really isn't Apple's usual style, and of course the company has been burned in the past by announcing things before they were ready. That said, an entire car is a considerably larger and more ambitious project, so it wouldn't be entirely outside the realm of possibility for Apple to tease it in phases as things evolve, but we still think the odds are against it.