As a holiday guide for reading Apple News at once, we will summarize each product / service category. The first iPhone 13 series, the second iPad, the third Mac, the fourth wearables and home accessories, and the fifth sequel to the first part of the 2022 outlook. I would like to continue to introduce the 2022 edition of this year's Apple Homework List, which I make every year.
Unification of MacBook Air, iMac, and iPad designs
Apple will continue to unify the design of its products. Of course, the same products will be unified with the same design, not to mention between products.
In recent years, in 2014, the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch developed a design with arcuate sides and rounded edge glass, Apple Watch is still, iPhone will introduce the iPhone 12 series in 2020. I've been using this design until I let it go.
The design of the iPad Pro that appeared in 2018 has been expanded to the iPad Air and iPad mini, but it will also be adopted in the iPhone 12 series in 2020, unified with a more straight side, full glass, and a thin frame design. Was done. This design is also used in the 2021 iMac 24-inch model.
In the iPad series, the 10.2 inch iPad still maintains the old design, and I would like to expect an update that adopts the current iPad Air housing.
In 2021, the MacBook Pro has a new design of 14 inches and 16 inches. Since 2008, when the first MacBook Air appeared, we have been trying to make the shadow on the bottom look thinner, but the new MacBook Pro has no such effect, and it has a considerably heavier impression than the old model.
The current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch still have the old design, and it seems that the design upgrade is near. Especially for the MacBook Air, the iMac is available in 7 colorful colors, and I'd like to expect the MacBook Air to be available in multiple colors.
Unification of displays
As for the display, the "Liquid Retina XDR" that adopted the mini LED backlight in the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro in 2021 has appeared, and we are expecting the development of this method.
Apple has introduced a four-fold higher resolution Retina display on the iPhone 4, which has been rolled out to the iPad 3, iPad mini 2, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac.
In addition, it adopted organic EL for the first time in the 2015 Apple Watch, and adopted it as "Super Retina XDR" in the 2017 iPhone X. On the other hand, the 2018 iPhone XR adopted a borderless liquid crystal display, Liquid Retina display, and is used in iPad Pro and iPad Air.
However, due to the improved performance of the iPhone camera, HDR photos and videos can no longer be displayed except on organic EL displays, so the iPhone 12 has become an organic EL display for the entire series.
Under such circumstances, it seems that Apple devices will be unified to a method that can withstand HDR display. First of all, it is absolute that the iPad Pro 11 inch will be converted to Liquid Retina XDR and the display of the iPad Pro series will be unified, but iMac and MacBook Air will also be expanded to the mini LED backlight system in the future.
Lossless high resolution compatible AirPods
In June 2021, Apple Music supported 3D audio, lossless, and high-resolution lossless methods. Spatial audio is supported by AirPods Max, AirPods Pro, and third-generation AirPods, but lossless can only be played using wired headphones.
Apple has focused on spatial audio to improve the Apple Music experience, and Rossless has described high resolution as an option for some listeners. However, considering the link between the company's products and services, I think it is necessary to support at least lossless wireless headphones.
Apple uses AAC 256kbps as standard for Apple Music, but Apple Lossless Audio Codec is used for lossless, and it supports from 16bit / 44.1kHz (CD city road etc.) to 24bit / 192kHz (high resolution) at the maximum. However, Bluetooth transmission is not supported.
Competitor Qualcomm announced "aptX Lossless" in September 2021. This technology can realize lossless audio transmission via Bluetooth, and will be supported by Android smartphones and wireless headphones other than Apple in the future.
With that move, Apple / Beats wireless headphones coming out after 2022 should be focused on lossless support. On the other hand, if you release AirPods Pro without lossless support, you have to give a fairly large negative evaluation.
iPhone camera with higher pixel count?
Since the iPhone XS, Apple has been working to improve the image quality of the iPhone by clearly utilizing the phrase "computational photography" and combining optical input and computer processing to create photos.
It is considered that the background is avoiding the increase in the number of pixels of the dark sensor. The higher the pixel count, the larger the capacity of each photo, and the 64GB or 256GB main unit storage and the 50GB or 200GB iCloud storage will soon fill up.
Considering the performance in dark places, the resolution of photographs, and the optical performance such as color, increasing the sensor size without changing the number of pixels contributes to higher image quality. In fact, the sensor size continues to grow, but from the iPhone 6s the number of pixels in the camera is fixed at 12 million pixels. When I take a picture, I can see the evolution of iPhone photos at a clear level every year, and I am very satisfied.
However, considering that the number of high-pixel pixels in the competition is increasing, and that the specifications of photographs are beginning to be inferior until they are taken, it is conceivable that the number of pixels will be increased at once. TF Securities analyst Minchey Kuo points out that it will improve to 48 million pixels, and Sony's 1 / 1.3 inch image sensor is expected to be adopted.
The iPhone 13 series is equipped with a new "cinematic mode," which can be called a portrait mode for movies that blur the background in real time. However, this shooting can only be done up to full HD, and I would like to expect the 2022 iPhone to support 4K, 60fps, and 24fps.
