Apple to upgrade Mac lineup this year, iPad stylus support next year: Report
A new report from Bloomberg highlights several planned upgrades to Apple's iPad and Mac lineup.
Starting with the iPad, Apple plans to cater to pro users with software upgrades to utilize the Apple Pencil stylus more throughout iOS. The software update is said to land next year, as Apple is looking for more revenue from the iPad lineup from pricier iPad Pro models.
Users would theoretically use the Apple Pencil to annotate throughout iOS, rather than be restricted to annotation in specific apps like Notes. It's not clear if the new stylus features will come as an incremental update to iOS 10 in the first half of the year or as a headline feature in the big fall 2017 update -- theoretically called iOS 11.
Past software, Bloomberg adds Apple is working on faster display technology for the iPad to allow users to experience smoother zooming, panning, and scrolling. New hardware updates for the iPad aren't expected until next year.
As for Mac, Apple is planning new versions of the iMac with upgraded graphics, MacBook Air with "multi-functional" USB-C technology, and a thinner MacBook Pro. Apple could announce Mac upgrades as soon as October.
This isn't the first we heard of the thinner MacBook Pro. Bloomberg previously reported Apple plans a key display above the keyboard that will allow for a set of function keys that will cater to OS X's gesturing power users.
Long awaited, Apple will also upgrade its standalone Thunderbolt display with a new 5K standalone monitor with the help of LG Electronics, Bloomberg says. The new display is said to have seven times the pixels of a 1080p television.
Apple announced on Monday it's hosting a media event on September 7, where it's expected to reveal the iPhone 7. Apple may also promote its iOS 10 software first unveiled in June, along with macOS Sierra, which is expected to be released in September.
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