What you need to know

  • Analyst report suggests Apple will release new iPad Pro and MacBooks in the First half of 2020.
  • The iPad Pro will feature a new 3D sensing time-of-flight camera for improved photography and AR.
  • New MacBooks will purportedly feature scissor mechanism keyboards rather than butterfly.

Another report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has today predicted that Apple will release a new iPad Pro and MacBooks in the first half of 2020, according to a report from MacRumors:

Apple will launch a new iPad Pro with a rear-facing 3D Time of Flight camera in the second quarter of 2020, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors...

A time-of-flight camera would use laser/LED to accurately measure a room by timing how long it takes for light to bounce off objects, improving picture quality and the AR experience.

The Apple analyst has also revealed his predicted schedule for Apple's MacBook lineup refresh. We've already learned that Apple is planning to use a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism for its upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected to be announced as soon as this month.

However, Kuo has said that after the 16-inch MacBook Pro launches, future Macs coming in 2020 will also swap over to a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism, resulting in more durable keyboards that are not as prone to failure from heat, dust and other small particulates. Kuo now predicts that Apple's refreshed MacBook models will arrive in the second quarter of 2020, suggesting they will feature the much-anticipated scissor mechanism keyboards that the company is adopting wholesale.

According to MacRumors, Apple is expected to announce a 16-inch MacBook Pro as early as this month which will mark the move from butterfly mechanism to scissor mechanism keyboards. Now this report suggests that Apple will double down on scissor keyboards in refreshed MacBooks to be released Q2 of 2020 The news comes hot on the heels of another prediction from analyst Kuo suggesting that Apple is planning to launch an AR headset at the same time next year.