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Bloomberg: MacBooks and iPads not coming at WWDC, redesigned Apple Watch will work with same bands

Bloomberg has published its roundup of what to expect at WWDC next week, and included are notable details about what not to expect from Apple on Monday. Specifically, new Macs and iPad Pros aren’t expected to debut like last year.

Apple refreshed the MacBook and MacBook Pro while introducing the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and second-gen 12.9 iPad Pro at its developer conference in 2017, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman expects Apple to save this year’s revisions for later in the year.

The company is working on refreshes to the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook with new Intel Corp. chips, and is planning a new low-cost laptop to succeed MacBook Air. But those won’t be ready until later this year, according to people familiar with the plans. Apple is also working on a redesigned iPad Pro line with Face ID, but that’s also expected later.

The report also corroborates one of Ming-Chi Kuo’s final analyst notes for KGI Securities before retiring, in which Kuo predicted Apple will release a redesigned Apple Watch this fall. Kuo wrote that Apple Watch will feature a 15% larger display, and Gurman adds new details today:

The company is working on a pair of new Apple Watches that keep the overall size of the current models, but include slightly larger, edge-to-edge screens, according to a person familiar with the product’s development. These changes will be the most notable external enhancements since the Watch launched about three years ago, but the new models will still support watch bands from earlier models, another person said.

With hardware likely not on the table next week, Bloomberg points to new software features in iOS 12 including a new Digital Health initiative, notification management features, ARKit 2.0 with multiplayer gaming capabilities, and potentially bringing iOS apps to the Mac as previously reported.

Read the full roundup on Bloomberg, and stay tuned for 9to5Mac’s live coverage from the keynote on Monday.

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Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.

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