Apple sent out press invites for their next event – the much-anticipated iPad one, a follow-up to last month’s unveiling of the iPhone 5S and 5C. To be honest, this is the one I’ve been looking forward to the most.
I don’t currently own an iOS device, and I feel I’ve been holding out for too long now. With iOS 7, and the general stability of the platform, plus my rekindled love for reading blogs and growing interest in e-books, an iPad is definitely on the cards for me.
iPad 5 rumours suggest a redesigned form factor – one in line with the iPad mini and iPhone: thin side bezels, filleted edges. I love the iPad mini design, but its lack of a Retina screen (which rumours suggest will be added in the expected update at this event) and smaller screen size diminish it as a choice for my first iOS device. I want something that is a little more “all-purpose” – great for casual gaming, reading blogs, books and magazines, and watching the occasional film or series. Perhaps even a spot of writing when I’m away from my laptop. The “normal” iPad’s screen size is thus a perfect fit for those needs.
So without further ado, in classic Pixelated Thinking tradition I shall speculate on what I want to see revealed at the keynote on October 22:
Certain:
- iPad 5 with new design, A7X processor, probably M7 motion co-processor, and maybe even Touch ID (though not great certainty on that)
- iPad mini 2 with Retina display, performance improvements
- OS X 10.9 Mavericks launch date, pricing revealed (it’s gone Gold Master, so release is inevitable soon)
- Mac Pro launch date
Possible:
- iWork updates: new versions for both iOS and, what I’m really hoping for: iWork updated for Mac. Seriously, Apple: this thing needs a feature bump.
- The iPod classic finally gets axed: sad, but we must face reality. As a classic owner myself, this will be a depressing moment, but hey: the future is touch. And the future is always better, right?
Hey, I Can Wish, Right?
- New versions of iLife, with new iLife apps, centred around things like blogging, social media etc. For both Mac and iOS. (Maybe they bring back iWeb as blog-centric tool, similar to Windows Live Writer? I know one blogger who’d get that app in an instant ;))
- An updated iTunes for Mac: iTunes got a major UI overhaul last year. I love it, but feel that a dark theme is needed, along with a few new features and UI tweaks. This might actually happen, as it’s been about a year since iTunes 11 was revealed.
Well, that’s my list. I’ll definitely be watching the keynote live streams on my favourite tech blogs, and be sure to get my thoughts on whatever transpires shortly after.
Life in Pixels 