Apple has a busy year ahead as it gears up to launch a laundry list of products including over-ear headphones, numerous new flagship iPhones, and more. But that might not be all, as an anonymous Twitter account with a fairly reliable track record has claimed the company may also be developing the next-gen iPad Air, a gaming controller, and an ARM-based 12-inch MacBook.
Details are scant at the moment but the source says the next iPad Air will be equipped with an in-screen fingerprint sensor, Touch ID, instead of Face ID. As a result, there will be no notch or home button, which in turn will likely allow the tablet to have a nearly edge-to-edge screen.
A Bloomberg report back in September of last year first reported that Apple was exploring in-display fingerprint readers for its next set of iPhones. However, it didn’t comment on whether they’ll be available on iPads anytime soon. These fingerprint sensors, unlike the traditional ones, are present inside the screen and require the user to press the screen for authentication via light signals. They’ve grown increasingly common on Android phones and can even be found on a few midrange offerings.
The upcoming iPad Air will reportedly also feature Apple’s long-rumored mini-LED display tech which is said to offer far better contrast and range than what is available today. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a research note had earlier claimed that a 10.2-inch iPad with mini-LED is in the works.
What’s more, Apple may soon resurrect the 12-inch MacBook with an ARM-based chipset. This could be one of the ‘several’ Arm Macs Ming-Chi Kuo expects to arrive next year.
An Apple game controller is in the works, too, and it could launch either this year or 2021. The tipster has hinted that Apple is investing more than ever in its mobile gaming subscription, Arcade.
Other than that, the source has corroborated a range of earlier rumors including new AirPods (that could land as early as next month), AirTag, a Plus variant of the latest iPhone SE, HomePod Lite, and more.
However, these products are likely in the early stages of development and given the anonymous factor, it’s best to take these rumors with a pinch of salt. If they’re true, we should hear more about them in the coming weeks.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.