Sometimes it’s the early regulatory filings that offer the best tidbits as to forthcoming products.
According to regulatory filings submitted to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Apple could be introducing as many as five new MacBooks and five new iPad models for the second half of 2018.
The filings with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) are required by any corporation looking to market devices employing encryption in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
Among the new part numbers are five model identifiers believed to coincide with the refresh of new MacBook models: A1931, A1932, A1988, A1989 and A1990. Of these, the latter three part numbers are highly believed to reference 2018 updates to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with TouchBar and the 15-inch MacBook Pro with TouchBar.
The first two Mac part numbers and their numbering conventions don’t appear to coincide with any pre-existing model identifiers used by Apple. It’s thought that these could be part numbers for refreshes to Apple’s 12-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air offerings.
The 12-inch MacBook in and of itself has seen few updates since its launch in 2015 with little information regarding a forthcoming update. The 13-inch MacBook, though, has been rumored to be due for an update from reliable sources of late.
It’s therefore possible that A1931 and A1932 could represent a consolidation of the 12″ MacBook and 13″ MacBook Air offerings, with A1931 referring to a refreshed 12″ MacBook and A1932 referencing an overhaul to the 13″ MacBook Air offering that would closely match the 12″ model, only with a larger 13- or even 14-inch display.
Where the new product numbers are concerned, Apple has been reportedly working on a “high-end” iPad for release as early as this year that would sport a slimmer bezel and incorporate facial recognition alongside and a TrueDepth camera and an edge-to-edge 11-inch display that would replace the need for a home button and Touch ID.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Consomac.fr