Apple CEO Tim Cook welcomes customers to the opening of a new Apple Store at the historic Carnegie Library building May 11, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Apple could release new iPad Air and Apple Watch models as soon as its launch event on Tuesday, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a note on Monday.
Apple usually releases new products and updated versions of key devices like the iPhone and iPad ahead of the holiday season, which is critical for the company. Kuo is well-known for predicting Apple products before they are announced based on information from Apple’s Asian supply chain.
Kuo believes that new iPhones that he calls the iPhone 12 will not be announced this week because mass production isn’t far enough along yet.
However, the new iPad Air and Apple Watch models will get significant new features, including a Touch ID fingerprint sensor included in the iPad Air power button, and a blood oxygen sensor in the new Apple Watch 6 models, Kuo predicts.
New iPhones will ship in October, according to Kuo, and could include four different models each with two different versions depending on which 5G networks they support. The four models include one with a 5.4-inch screen, two models with 6.1-inch screens, and a large “Pro Max” model with a 6.7-inch screen.
Only some iPhones will support speedy millimeter wave networks, which are the fastest type of 5G networks, and those phones will ship after the other models, according to the note. Millimeter wave networks are still being built in many countries around the world and are not widely available yet in most regions.
