Kuo: iPhone SE 2 Launch Still Planned for First Half of 2020 Despite Coronavirus Outbreak

We've been hearing for some time that Apple is planning to launch a new low-cost iPhone based on the iPhone 8, but with upgraded internals. This device has been referred to in rumors as the "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9," although concerns over the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus on production have raised some questions about timing for the launch.


In a new research note seen by MacRumors, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo briefly mentions that the ‌iPhone SE 2‌ is still expected to launch in the first half of this year. The mention comes in a larger report about smartphone camera lens suppliers, with Kuo noting that the ‌iPhone SE 2‌ will not include a 7-element plastic (7P) lens, and so will not contribute toward shipments of those advanced lenses.

Because Apple expects that the new ‌iPhone‌ SE2 released in 1H20 will not use a 7P lens, it will not help the 7P lens shipment momentum.

It's unsurprising that the ‌iPhone SE 2‌ won't include a 7P lens, as the ‌iPhone 8‌ includes a 6P rear camera lens. With Apple looking to keep pricing on the new phone as low as possible, it will almost certainly be reusing components wherever possible, with the exception of key performance-related components like the A-series chip, which is rumored to move from the A11 chip in the ‌iPhone 8‌ to Apple's latest A13 chip.

A separate report today claims that an update to Apple's iPad Pro lineup is expected "around March," so it's possible we could see a media event next month for Apple to introduce several new products.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE 2

Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo

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Apple Music 'Replay 2020' Playlist Now Available, Will Update With Your Most Streamed Music Every Week

Last November, Apple launched new "Replay" playlists within Apple Music, letting its subscribers discover which songs they listened the most to every year they've been using ‌Apple Music‌. At the time of the announcement, the company said that users would be able to track their listening habits throughout 2020, and now it has made the "Replay 2020" playlist available to add to your ‌Apple Music‌ library (via Federico Viticci on Twitter).


To do so, head to Apple Music on the web to get your Replays, then scroll all the way down on the page to find the yearly Replay playlists. "2020 Replay" should be the first one you see, and you can add it to your library by clicking "Add." Afterwards, the playlist will appear on ‌Apple Music‌ across your Apple devices, and as you listen to music throughout the year, new songs will rise up to the top of the playlists, and songs you don't listen to as much will descend. Up to 100 songs will eventually occupy "2020 Replay" by the year's end.

These Replay playlists are Apple's response to Spotify Wrapped, which provides Spotify users with interesting stats on who their most listened to artists, songs, genres, and more were throughout the year. ‌Apple Music‌ Replay is a bit more straightforward, listing your top 100 favorite songs of each year, but you can find more about your favorite albums and artists on ‌Apple Music‌ on the web. ‌Apple Music‌'s ability to showcase your top music from each specific year is also an advantage over Spotify Wrapped.

‌Apple Music‌‌ subscribers can access Apple Music Replay on the web and add the playlists to iOS or Mac devices. At one point, Replay was available directly from the ‌Apple Music‌ app on iOS (on the Browse tab), but this was only a temporary feature highlighting the end of 2019.

Tag: Apple Music

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iPad Pro Update Expected 'Around March,' but Production Slow to Ramp Up

Rumors have been pointing toward a significant iPad Pro update in the first half of this year, including a new triple-lens rear camera system supporting 3D sensing for immersive augmented reality experiences.

MacRumors concept of ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ with triple-lens rear camera system
In a new paywalled blurb published today, DigiTimes claims that production on the device has already begun with a launch expected "around March," which is Apple's usual timeframe for a spring media event in years that it chooses to hold one. The blurb also says that production has been slow to ramp up following the Lunar New Year holiday, with impacts from the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic presumably also playing a role.

Apple is scheduled to launch its new ‌iPad Pro‌ series around March, with related suppliers already kicking off production for the model ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. However, their output has started growing slowly after the extended Lunar New Year break in China with shipments unlikely to peak until after April, according to industry sources.

It's looking like Apple has a fairly significant slate of products ready for updates, so the company may indeed hold a spring media event this year. In addition to updated ‌iPad Pro‌ models, we're also expecting a new low-cost "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9," an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with the improved scissor-switch keyboard from the 16-inch model, and possibly a few other products.

We'll update this article with any additional details once DigiTimes expands its blurb into a full story.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro

Tag: digitimes.com

Buyer's Guide: 11" iPad Pro (Don't Buy), 12.9" iPad Pro (Don't Buy)

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'AirPods Pro Lite' Production Reportedly Pushed Back From Planned Q2 Start

Last week, Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes made a passing reference to upcoming "AirPod Pro Lite" earphones without offering any details on the product, leading to confusion about whether this would be a third-generation version of the regular AirPods or a new member of the AirPods Pro family.


While we still don't have a full picture of what to expect with these upcoming earphones, DigiTimes today published another short paywalled blurb specifically describing ‌AirPods Pro‌ Lite as an "entry-level version of Apple's ‌AirPods Pro‌ series" and saying that production will not kick off in the second quarter of this year as originally planned.

Production of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ Lite, an entry-level version of Apple's ‌AirPods Pro‌ series, is unlikely to kick off in the second quarter as originally planned, according to industry sources.

We haven't heard any specific rumors about these ‌AirPods Pro‌ Lite earphones, or updates to the ‌AirPods‌ and ‌AirPods Pro‌. The ‌AirPods Pro‌ were just released in October, so we're not expecting an update for some time yet, while the second-generation ‌AirPods‌ are coming up on a year old in March.

We'll update this article with any additional details once DigiTimes expands its blurb into a full story.

Related Roundups: AirPods 2, AirPods Pro

Tags: digitimes.com, AirPods Pro Lite

Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral), AirPods Pro (Buy Now)

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Instagram CEO Says iPad App Hasn't Been Made Yet Because 'We Only Have So Many People, and Lots to Do'

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri took to the platform over the weekend to answer a few user questions on his story, shared by The Verge's Chris Welch. Among the many things asked, the topic of an official iPad app for Instagram was brought up, and Mosseri explained why we haven't seen one yet.

According to Mosseri, the company "would like to build an ‌iPad‌ app" for Instagram, "But we only have so many people, and lots to do, and it hasn't bubbled up as the next best thing to do yet."

Instagram is technically viewable on ‌iPad‌ in a number of ways, but the company has never released a first-party ‌iPad‌ app that's been optimized for the tablet.

Instagram users have been asking for an official ‌iPad‌ app nearly since the social network launched in 2010, the same year that the first ‌iPad‌ was released. Some alternatives include third-party Instagram apps for ‌iPad‌, browsing Instagram on the web on ‌iPad‌, or using the upscaled iPhone app on ‌iPad‌.

He also said Instagram “would like to build an ‌iPad‌ app.”

“But we only have so many people, and lots to do, and it hasn’t bubbled up as the next best thing to do yet.”

The ‌iPad‌ is 10 years old. Maybe by the time it’s 20, then?

— Chris Welch (@chriswelch) February 15, 2020

In another small tidbit shared during the Q&A, Mosseri explained that a very small group of Instagram users never see ads of any kind in the app, so that Instagram can "understand the effect of that."

Following the Cambridge Analytica controversy, Facebook and its family of companies have been pivoting and focusing on numerous security and privacy-related issues, as well as trying to make their platforms less hostile. As a recent example, Instagram began hiding "likes" from user posts last November, in an effort to "depressurize" the platform.

Amid all of the scandals, Instagram's original co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger left Facebook in 2018, leading way for Mosseri's advancement from the Facebook news team to Instagram CEO.

Tag: Instagram

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