Assuming apocalyptical doomsday predictions from South America do n’t come to fruition , 2012 is poised to be a different kind of year for Apple . In 2011 , the company rolled out significant update to most of its intersection — including two major new operating system versions — and also enter a raw Web weapons platform to glue all of its devices and program together . But the company also lost its most pregnant figure , Steve Jobs , and had a new homo formally take the reins of the fellowship .
give all of that , it would seem that 2012 might have to be a quiet year by comparison . But Apple ’s not the kind of company to stand up still . So what might it have in depot for the year to come ?
Mac attack
Of all Apple ’s merchandise lines , the Mac underwent perhaps the fewest significant variety in 2011 . But there were some update and drift that will likely spread through the Mac line in 2012 .
With the success of the MacBook Air andthe discontinuation of the polycarbonate MacBook line of merchandise , expect to see a continue shift toward the repose of Apple ’s portables resemble the svelte , lightweight laptop . Apple has always pushed the gasbag in clear its portables thinner and lighter , and the dispute between a 13 - inch MacBook Air and a 13 - inch MacBook Pro is stunning — just essay holding one in each hand .
You might ask where one would gibe the multitude of port that the MacBook Pro line boast were it to adopt the Air ’s material body factor ? gratefully , 2011 bring another advance that I think we ’ll see Apple push more strongly in the coming year : Thunderbolt .
While the gamy - speed peripheral port has n’t gained a lot of steam quite yet , the attraction of having all your devices require only a single connexion may be too powerful to fend . And with Apple ’s Thunderbolt Display , all those other ports can be just a step out .
The proliferation of Thunderbolt wo n’t necessarily be a lineal push from Apple to consumer , but behind the scenes , I ’m certain the troupe is trying to get third parties to acquire the technology . But Apple could race that process along by making Thunderbolt the go - to port for high - stop number connections , as it has on the MacBook Air .
Both the iMac and the Mac miniskirt receive solid if less - than - salient overhaul in the past year ; though they ’re likely to receive speed bumps in 2012 , it seems improbable that they ’ll be importantly revamp , especially as the Mac product commixture is overwhelmingly tilted toward portable sales at present .
And then there ’s the Mac Pro , the last update to which was in August 2010 . Has it not been updated because there has n’t been meaning client demand ? Or has there not been customer demand because it has n’t been update ? My shot : More and more professionals are finding that they can get by with an iMac or a MacBook Pro , so the compulsion to beak up a Mac Pro has dwindled . But Apple has n’t shoot down it off quite yet , in the same style that it ca n’t quite bring itself to off the iPod classic — there arestillsome client out there .
That said , if you look at the four Mac Pro role model that Apple has released since the introduction of the background in August 2006 , there ’s always more than a class between revisions . So expect a speed bump for the Mac Pro this year , along with the addition of Thunderbolt , to appease the pro marketplace .
One other alteration that ’s likely to continue spreading across the Mac production line in 2012 ? upstanding state memory . It ’s not right for everybody — peculiarly those who need alotof memory board — but for most casual users the gain in public presentation and weight unit and the deficiency of moving share make it an satisfactory tradeoff . Laptops in particular benefit from SSDs , for portability and power grounds — after all , there ’s a reason that the iPod classic is the last of Apple ’s handheld devices to depend on a established hard disk .
On the software system side , do n’t gestate to hear anything about the next adaptation of Mac OS X ( Domestic House Cat ? ) until late in the year ; the company ’s been light that the Mac operating system is a ripe product ; as a effect , there ’s more time between its major release . Rather than tout the next bone X update at WWDC , I intend we might see it in a consecrate Mac event in the fall , as we did with Lion in October 2010 — but even if that happen , the update still wo n’t ship until 2013 .
For your i’s only
Many a tech pundit cried foul when Apple did n’t release an iPhone 5 this dusk , but consumers did n’t care : Theysnapped up the iPhone 4S with piddling complaint . Now that we ’ve seen Apple publish five different iPhone models , a normal has begun to come forth . So , will the rumored iPhone 5 look this yr ? Were I a calculate man , I ’d lay down some money on the likeliness .
As for what improvement such an iPhone might bring , the obvious ones include a firm central processing unit ( the A6 , perhaps ? ) , more memory , and an improved camera . More of a longshot is some sorting of organization that lets you bear straightaway from your iPhone — I do n’t remember it ’s particularly belike this yr , but I do remember it ’s a field Apple will get into at some point , especially if rival venture — like Google Wallet — begin to catch on .
And , of course , the iPhone 5 will likely come in a raw grade divisor , which ought to appease all those who complained about the iPhone 4S look just like an iPhone 4 . Relax , tech prig : All your enemies — and friends — will be capable to tell that you ’ve get the latest and bully smartphone .
The new class will in all probability also bring the next version of Apple ’s roving OS , iOS 6 . I suppose we ’ll at long last see the dealings organization that Apple hinted at back in April , which will credibly go hand - in - helping hand with a pregnant revamp to Maps . I ’d have a bun in the oven mapping and location to be a foundation of iOS 6 ’s release , given that Apple has purchased multiplemap - relatedcompaniesin the last several geezerhood . In plus , the company ’s family relationship with Google has deteriorate to the detail where Apple probably does n’t wish the estimation of having such a major characteristic in the hand of a competitor — especially when it could be driving the development itself .
As part of that , I ’d wager on built - in go - by - turn way in conclusion cook an appearance in Apple ’s mobile operating system — definitely for headphone that have Siri , and maybe for the last generation or two as well .
Speaking of Siri , I would n’t be shocked to see Apple ’s intelligent help make its way to the iPhone 4 — we’ve seen from jailbreak experiments that it will run on the hardware if Apple will allow it . It might be as part of iOS 6 , or it might be an iOS 5 update . It ’s also likely to gain support for more languages , and hopefullya few more capabilities to boot .
Given that I ’ve already presage a new OS tenner version wo n’t submit until 2012 , iOS 6 will probably be the centerpiece of Apple ’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2012 . But as in 2011 , I mean the outlet itself wo n’t come along until fall . iOS is mature , and as such , I consider Apple will follow the pattern it determine with Mac OS X and release major update less frequently .
iPad it out
Even with the release of the Kindle Fire , the iPad still prevail the perch berth in the pad market . But Apple ’s not probable to rest on its laurels ; I ’d expect an iPad 3 to surface no later than the give .
In terms of what the iPad 3 looks like , I conceive Apple may follow the iPhone ’s tether here : I ’d guess the iPad 3 will apply the same frame element as the iPad 2 , but sport a Retina show that doubles the iPad ’s resolution to 2048 - by-1536 pel . The company might also beef up the iPad ’s cameras — I’d for certain like them to improve the front - facing camera to HD quality for honest video chatting .
Under the hood I ’d expect more radical changes — if the next iPhone does indeed sport an Apple A6 processor , wait it to debut here first . More RAM seems potential as well . And now that Apple ’s made a mountain with Sprint for the iPhone , I ’d bet that a dash - branded 3 G iPad ca n’t be far behind . In damage of software capabilities , I ’d play that Siri will seem on a novel iPad , and perhaps as an update to the iPad 2 as well .
As for the constant rumors of a 7 - inch iPad , I do n’t put much faith in it . I think it more likely that Apple will once again follow the pattern of the iPhone , keep the existing iPad 2 around as a miserable cost model while the iPad 3 introduction with the iPad 2 ’s current terms tag end .
Apple TV set theory
Thecurrent Apple TVis an underrated ware in my opinion . Between its AirPlay capabilities , its tie to popular online Service such as Netflix , and its integration with the iTunes Store , it ’s a expectant sustenance way portal for content . As such , I ’d hope to see the troupe expand it with even more deals this twelvemonth — in particular , backup forHulu Pluswould be a welcome addition , though Apple might see that as slue too much into iTunes ’s video securities industry .
But the big question on everybody ’s thinker , thanks to a tantalizing choice morsel from Walter Isaacson ’s life story of Steve Jobs , is an Apple television set . Since Isaacson quoted Jobs as suppose that he had “ crack ” the user interface for an Apple television , hearsay have crop up almost as persistently as in the leash - up to the release of the first iPhone .
To me , this product is the wildcard in Apple ’s course - up for 2012 . On the one script , I incur it unvoiced to imagine what an Apple television would bring that the Apple TV does n’t ; on the other hand , I have enough experience with Apple to bang that should the company release such a gadget I ’d credibly chop-chop wonder how I ever lived without it . And , if there ’s one affair consumers love more than their phones — especially here in the U.S.—it ’s their TVs .
Service, s’il vous plaît
Whether Apple like it or not , the company has now become a significant provider of online overhaul . Between the App Store , the Mac App Store , the iTunes Store , iTunes Match , and iCloud , the Apple online ecosystem has exposit to encompass all of Apple ’s merchandise telephone line .
Of those religious service , expect to see the most changes in iCloud next year . Apple rolled outits everything - and - the - kitchen - sump offeringlate in 2011 , and there are plenty of bumpy edges to sand down . For one thing , despite the touted idea of having all your data on all of your gadget , the Mac still lags behind on the power to synchronize documents to other Macs or iOS devices . I ’d guess that an update to iWork or OS X will bring a better mode to sync that info , as well as hopefully smoothen out some of the iCloud ruffles we ’ve happen since its launching .
It will also be interesting to receive out just how well the adoption ofiTunes Matchis legal proceeding , if Apple actually chooses to liberate any routine on it during one of its financial league call . Meanwhile , the society is sure to continue expand the divine service ’s contact abroad , as well as hopefully improving its database to make the matching process better .
Finally , I ’d expect to see the App Store remain its up pace in apps and downloads , though I expect the former to slacken gradually as the platform matures . On the Mac side , the Mac App Store will hopefully gain some of the features of its iOS counterpart , such as ability to invest apps and some social networking consolidation .
Meet the new boss (almost the same as the old boss)
While the loss of Steve Jobs was experience keenly throughout the Apple community , in some style it will make the least difference to the mathematical process of Apple as a caller . Remember that while Jobs formally resigned as CEO in August of 2011 , he had been on an indefinite leave of absence sinceJanuary of this past year . Tim Cook has in effect been start the company for the past year , so do n’t cerebrate that Cupertino is about to implode because Jobs is no longer with us .
And keep in mind that Apple ’s the kind of company that plans its roadmap out years in advance . So there are still merchandise with the impression of Steve Jobs that have yet to come down the pipe , not to mention a whole ship’s company of engineers , designers , and coder that have been instill in Apple ’s ethos .
In inadequate , expect the Apple of 2012 to look a lot like the Apple of 2011 : voguish , savvy , and , above all , successful .
[ Dan Moren is Macworld ’s senior associate editor . ]
