iPad 3, iPhone 5 launch

The iPad 3 and iPhone 5 are almost certainly coming in 2012, but what else does Apple have planned? Check out our look at the top Apple tech trends to watch out for in 2012.

Apple iPad 3 set to launch in 2012?

A new year, a new iPad. Surely it will come in 2012? Perhaps with all the elements most tablet users are crying out for this time – like a USB key and an LED lightbar. A bit of a complaint among iPad 2 customers, the issue of brightness is certainly one Apple need to address. Rumours are of dual-LED lightbar technology to brighten up the iPad’s display, which will be even more vital given the iPad 3’s expected 2048x1536 display. 3G for free would be great, too.

Apple iPhone 5 set to launch in 2012?

Unless there is a major technology disaster when it comes to production, or BlackBerry/Samsung/Nokia/HTC create a smartphone in the next few months so advanced that it can transport users Star Trek style to make ‘calls’ face-to-face, the Apple iPhone 5 will be with us in 2012. What will it include? A better camera, better processor and more storage hopefully.

Apple Siri to get serious in 2012

It’s the gadget of the moment for sure – capable of doing everything from starting a car to creating a media storm around abortion, but one thing is certain; Siri means business. Expect plenty more Siri hacks and interesting developments as Apple utilise and perfect the technology for the future. But the real question for 2012 and Siri remains – will it be able to decipher the hidden meaning of the Scottish accent?

Will Apple go 3D in 2012?

This will largely focus on the iPad 3, for sure, where given the competition in the tablet market even something as supposedly innovative as Retina Display isn't a big enough deal to keep the iPad 3 ahead of the competition.

Unfortunately producing large screen auto-3D is difficult. Every plane of depth you create robs the screen of resolution. To bring out a large no-glasses display you have to use a next generation 4K2K panel - that's 8 million pixels give or take.

Today's 1920 x 1080 Full HD screens are 2 million pixels. So to produce a no-glasses 3D panel requires four times the resolution as a flat picture - which is exactly the same PPI bump that Apple's 78 micrometers pixel technology allows. Could this technique be used give the iPad no-glasses 3D? The numbers seem to add up. But could we see 3D iPhones? 2012 will tell.

End of the iPod?

Could 2012 be the year that Apple kiss goodbye to the product that kick started their tech renaissance? While Apple seem to be running plenty of updates and innovations with the iPod Touch and iPod Nano, where there is still a big potential market, with the iPhone doing the same – and a whole lot more – as the Classic iPod, do we still need it? Figures from April show a 17 per cent decline in sales of iPods from the same time in 2010 – so could the number be up for the iPod Classic in 2012?

Posted in: Apple