According to Macotakara sources, the iPhone 12 lineup may support a new WiFi spec, 802.11ay, which is currently in the draft phase and expected to be finalized at the end of the year. 802.11ay uses 60GHz spectrum (separate from the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands used in standard home router WiFi) to offer high-bandwidth device-to-device data transfer.
It would be a perfect technology for Apple to use to improve the speed of AirDrop transfers, for example …
Macotakara describes the 802.11ay support as “ultra-short range”. This makes it sound like it would be similar to Bluetooth, but with much faster data transfer speeds. In addition to iPhone-to-iPhone communication, an 802.11ay compatible iPhone could interoperate with other forthcoming 802.11ay smart accessories.
Whilst Ming-Chi Kuo is expecting an all-OLED product lineup for the iPhone 12 this fall, Macotakara says there might be an LCD model too, perhaps branded as a refreshed iPhone 11. This would make sense given the sales popularity of the iPhone 11 model.
Perhaps rather than simply dropping the price, Apple replaces the iPhone 11 with a spec-bumped model that would give it the longevity for Apple to sell the model for a long time.
Macotakara also reports that the Apple AirTags, Apple’s competitor to Tile trackers, are set to be released in the fall. The report says the tags will be able to be recharged wirelessly, using an inductive charger similar to the Apple Watch magnetic charger. It’s not clear if it would use the same Watch charger, or use standard Qi technology.
Last week, Ming-Chi Kuo said that ultra-wide band chip production is expected to ramp up by the third quarter, intimating a September launch for Apple’s AirTags. Apple’s tags will use UWB to enable an augmented reality experience on a nearby U1-enabled iPhone (like the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro) to exactly pinpoint where the tag is located in the room.
