Will there be an Apple spring conference in 2021?

       Sina Digital News on the morning of February 1st, will Apple hold a spring conference this year? There is increasing evidence that new products are in development, from new AirPods to new iPad Pro. But as the epidemic in the United States continues, it is almost certain that the spring conference will still be online.

　　Apple Spring Conference History

　　The WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in June and the fall iPhone launch are certain to happen every year. But the spring launch is not so fixed. Sometimes there is an offline launch, such as the first generation of iPhone SE; sometimes it is an online product update, such as the new generation of iPad Pro or MacBook Air, and sometimes there is no launch or new product.

A spring conference is not necessary

　　It can be seen that a spring conference is not necessary, it will only be held if there are products. The scale depends on the product. In 2019, Apple updated some products online, such as the second generation of AirPods, and also held a spring conference specifically for its service section, which included details of Apple News +, Apple Card, Apple TV + and Apple Arcade.

　　If Apple were to hold a spring conference in 2021, the biggest problem would be the pandemic. Looking at the current situation, Apple has many new products, so the online conference could be very large. Here are some of the products that may appear.

　　New iPad Pro and iPad mini

　　One of the rumors is that Apple will release a new iPad Pro with a mini-LED display in the first quarter of 2021. The expectation is that the mini-LED backlight will first appear on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, followed by the 11-inch iPad Pro.

　　In terms of design, the 2021 iPad Pro series is expected to be almost the same as the 2020 iPad Pro series. Therefore, the biggest change is likely to be a shift in display materials, plus a new A14-based chip for better performance.

Many people are most looking forward to the new mini

　　Apple is also reportedly working on a new iPad mini, which will be released in March. The new iPad mini is said to feature an 8.4-inch display and smaller bezels. Unfortunately, it won't adopt a design similar to the iPad Air 4 and iPad Pro, with the bezels and home button remaining (which is probably a good thing).

　　Apple last updated the iPad mini in 2019, so it's time for an update. There are also rumors that Apple will develop a new low-cost iPad, but we don't expect it to be released later this year.

　　iPhone SE 3

　　Foreign media Macotakara reported that Apple will also release a new third-generation iPhone SE in April. Details are still unclear, but April will be one year after the second-generation iPhone SE was released in 2020.

Many people believe that the next generation iPhone SE will be based on the iPhone 8 Plus

　　Rumor has it that Apple is working on a larger version of the iPhone SE, possibly with a 5.5-inch display and a design similar to the iPhone 8 Plus. Whether this materializes in spring 2021 remains to be seen.

　　AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2

　　It is reported that after launching AirPods Max in December, Apple will continue to update the rest of the AirPods series products in 2021.

　　Rumor has it that the new second-generation AirPods Pro will be available in April. The AirPods Pro 2 may have a "more compact" design that removes the current earphone stem.

AirPods are two years old, it’s time for an update

　　However, Bloomberg believes that the rumor of this design change is unreliable. Apple is said to face challenges in removing the AirPods Pro earphone stem.

　　Another rumor that has been around for a long time is the entry-level AirPods, which will refer to the design of AirPods Pro. It will replace the currently sold AirPods 2nd generation. A news report shows that the price of AirPods 3 will be about 20% cheaper than AirPods Pro, at about $199.

　　AirTag和Apple TV

　　Reports of a new Apple TV have been circulating for a while, and since the current product is a bit old compared to competing streaming devices, the new Apple TV is said to begin production sometime in 2021, but details are still unclear.

It seems that the appearance of AirTag is no longer a secret

　　Similarly, rumors about AirTag have been around for two years. We guess the launch event is not too far away. The latter has been rumored for a long time. It is roughly a round metal piece that can connect to the phone via Bluetooth or UWB ultra-wideband. It can be tied to the key of the backpack to track the item and prevent it from being lost.

　　Apple's self-developed chip products continue

　　Apple has previously announced that it will take about two years to transition the entire Mac product line to its own ARM architecture chips. 2021 will be a year of major product expansion.

There will definitely be new computers, and they will use M-series chips, but they probably won't be released in the spring.

　　New 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, a redesigned iMac, and more are likely to appear, but not in the spring, at least, not in the first half of the year.