Apple Logo (Photo : Reuters/Aly Song)
The year 2016 appears to be a busy year for Apple as key product launches have been reportedly lined up by the tech giant. Seemingly confirmed on the pipeline are the latest MacBook models laced with Siri, the small but mighty iPhone SE and a phablet-size iPhone Pro packed with dual-camera system - all ready for 2016 release date.
The iPhone Pro, according to MacRumors, is in fact the more high-end build of the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus that is expected to roll out in the third quarter of 2016. Citing the recent forecasts issued by Ming-chi Kuo, the report stated that Apple is likely to issue three iPhone models no later than September, consisting of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7, the regular iPhone 7 Plus with a single-lens cam and its identical twin with a super-charged shooting capabilities.
The iPhone Pro label was carried in a story recently published by Chinese blog site My Drivers and is reportedly under serious study by Apple "to distinguish the device from the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus," the report said.
While the iPhone maker has yet to comment on the matter, MacRumors noted that the likelihood of Apple unboxing two iPhone 7 Plus variants was given credence by Kuo, who appeared convinced in his recent reports that the jumbo-size iPhones will be served in two flavors. Previously, the KGI analyst has accurately predicted the specs and features stuffed with soon to rollout Apple products and services.
And Kuo looks also headed to the right direction on the 4-inch iPhone SE, which the analyst has predicted to come out as early as late 2015. The SE, according to KGI, is essentially the scaled down version of the iPhone 6S, having its A9 processor and M9 co-processor plus all the specs and features that debuted with the flagship save for 3D Touch screen.
The iPhone SE is also said to sell alongside the iPhone 5S, which in turn will become the budget iPhone. It is predicted that the SE will retail starting at $450 while 2013-issued 5S will see a significant price cut that will leave the sticker price at $225, per the latest research note from Kuo.
As for the MacBook Pro and Air 2016 models, reports from Asia suggest that the new notebooks are all but confirmed to begin rolling out right after Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which a separate report by MacRumors said will run from June 13 to 17.
The same report also claimed that on release date, the 2016 MacBook Pro and Air will feature Siri, which will become a standard on all OS X and iOS devices. Apple's WWDC 2016 edition is expected to introduce iOS 10 and OS X 10.12.
