Apple had a pretty bold 2016, iPhone 7 turned out to be a great phone, but Apple upset a lot of people by removing the headphone jack. The Apple Watch Series 2 spits out water after being dunked. MacBook Pro, released in October, is the first laptop with a touch-sensitive strip above the keys.
So what does 2017 look like for Apple? Besides the next iPhone, there doesn’t seem to be too much coming in the pipeline to get super excited about. The big challenge for Apple in 2017 will be to unlock more potential from its products. Keep reading, if you are eager to find out what Apple has in store for us in 2017.
New Apple Products Coming in 2017
Apple Watch Series 3
The Apple Watch Series 2, unveiled in September 2016, is the classic second-gen product. We haven’t heard any rumors suggesting a new Apple Watch is in the works for 2017, but if we are going to get one, it could come in the fall alongside the iPhone 8. In new Apple watch, features we could see include the first significant design changes, upgraded processors, and perhaps sensors too.
Cellular connectivity, a feature Apple has wanted to incorporate, could also come in a 2017 model. It’s too early to say how frequently the Apple Watch will be updated (there was a 16-month hiatus between first-gen and Series 2). But we’re optimistic that the Series 3 will roll out late in 2017.
iPad Pro
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro dropped in late 2015 and another 9.7 inch debuted in spring 2016. The iPad Pro 2 is widely expected to make a spring or summer 2017 launch. Apple is said to be planning on introducing three models in 2017. A 9.7-inch iPad Pro, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and a mid-range model with a display 10.1 – 10.9 inches.
The iPad mini once felt like the future of the tablet, but larger iPhone formats have seen the line somewhat neglected. The 10-inch iPad Pro is rumored to feature an edge-to-edge display much like the iPhone. Rumors suggest the 10-inch iPad Pro will be replacing the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, but Apple plans to keep the 9.7-inch iPad Pro around as a low-cost tablet option. The 10-inch and 12.9-inch models will reportedly be the new flagship models, upgraded with faster A10X processors.
iPhone 8 (iPhone’s 10th anniversary)
We’re assuming it’s going to be called the “iPhone 8” due to design changes that are more radical than we’d expect for an “iPhone 7s,” but it’s entirely possible Apple will go with another name. Rumors about iPhone 8 started ramping up before iPhone 7 was even released, so there’s a lot of information out there.
It looks like there’s going to be at least three iPhone models, and one of those will have an OLED display. It’s sounding like we’re going to get one premium OLED iPhone somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 inches. The original iPhone was launched in 2007 and while Apple tends not to be the sort of company that looks back. The comparatively conservative updates in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 suggest there might be something bigger coming. Who knows what Apple’s got up its sleeve for the Anniversary?!
MacBook Pro 2017
MacBook Pro models with a Touch Bar came out in 2016. It stands to reason we’ll see yet another upgrade in the early months of 2017. As satisfying a product as the MacBook Pro 2016 is, spec bump wasn’t quite enough to please Apple’s pro and more demanding consumer customers. Low-power Kaby Lake chips appropriate for the MacBook are already available, so that’s a safe bet for what we might see in an upgraded machine.
A further update to the Pro line in 2017 would allow Apple to make minor tweaks to the specs on offer. Potentially tempting the pro users who were put off by the limited allocation of RAM or the older processors. Upgrades could include Kaby Lake processors and slight price cuts, but no design changes are expected.
Apple may even decide to go for something completely different (the iPhone 10 perhaps), to mark the anniversary.