As we conclude 2020, it's interesting to look back on companies who have been able to release products throughout the year as the pandemic raged on.
While there would have obviously been plans long held for some products before the pandemic, some would have been delayed, or less stock would have been prepared regardless. With that, it's notable to se how many new and refreshed products Apple have brought out this year.
From the iPhone 12 line to the AirPods Max, there's plenty still available with a few days to go for Christmas, but of course, many are now wondering what could be coming next year.
With that, lets look into what 2021 could bring to each line from Apple.
Mac
This was the year where we finally saw Apple move the Macs to their ARM processors, or 'Apple Silicon' as their website states. With the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Mini all receiving rave reviews on their long battery life and incredible processing power on apps either native or running in the translation-app, Rosetta 2.
As Apple have stated that their Mac line will be moved over to 'Apple Silicon' by 2022, expect to see more of the Macs be moved over to the 'M1' chip, and with new designs.
It's notable that the first 'M1' Macs brought no design changes, but that was probably because that it prevented leaks; if no external changes are visible, some will just take it as a refreshed Mac with more recent Intel CPU's.
But now, everyone knows that the M1 is real. So expect different variants of the chip for other Macs. From an iMac, to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and then the Mac Pro, there's going to be massive speed increases.
From the design standpoint, it wouldn't be a stretch to see FaceID finally appear in these Macs, alongside 'mini-LED' displays and possible TouchBar improvements with tactile presses.
READ MORE: The M1 Macs finally revealed!
iPad
Their tablet is in a weird limbo now. With the Macs now working on the same processors as the iPad and iPhone, one wonders if there's even a point for a tablet to exist, when its features pale in comparison to a Mac.
However, there's plenty of uses for a tablet to differentiate itself from a laptop, and the iPad Pro line can especially benefit from this.
Expect to see 'mini-LED' displays, which feature brighter and even more colourful displays with higher refresh-rates, and faster FaceID improvements.
As the iPad Pro is being used more by videographers thanks to the OS improvements, expect to also see bigger storage options, with 2TB appearing eventually.
One other, distant rumour is a bigger iPad Pro, of the 15-inch variant. This could be really beneficial to artists with the Apple Pencil here.
Finally, the iPad accessories stood out this year thanks to the beautiful but expensive Magic Keyboard. Expect to see improvements there, and hopefully a function-key-row or a Touch Bar for the next-generation of the accessory.
READ MORE: INTERVIEW; How a feature in iOS 14.2 means for retro games going forward.
iPhone
One can't imagine a new year without a new iPhone on the horizon. This year's iPhone 12 line made an impression with their design and camera improvements, harkening back to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 design.
It used to be the way of a new 'numbered' iPhone, and then an 'S' model the following year which would be the same design as before, but faster and with one significant feature. iPhone 4S featured Siri for example, and iPhone 5S featured TouchID.
For this iPhone 12S or iPhone 13 in 2021, rumours point to TouchID making a comeback, either on the power button or below the screen. There's also even bigger camera improvements apparently coming, which isn't a surprise after seeing how far the camera has come in the last five years.
It's usually from June that we start to hear about what the new iPhone will most likely contain, partly thanks to Apple's 'WWDC' conference where they announce new software updates.