Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has weighed in on his expectations for what Apple will be unveiling next week, citing the obvious unveiling of iOS 12 and related software updates, but notably throwing cold water on rumours that Apple could plan to unveil a new Face ID enabled iPad Pro; Gurman conceded that Apple is working on such a device — along with refreshes to its MacBook lineup — but that the hardware won’t be ready for an unveiling until later this year. Gurman also highlights a new initiative that Apple has been working on to help users monitor how much time they spend on their devices and using certain apps — a feature that Apple has dubbed “Digital Health” and is expected to be built into iOS 12.
Gurman adds that Apple is expected to unveil “ARKit 2.0” with new augmented reality experiences, including multiuser AR gaming, and static virtual object placement. iOS 12 is otherwise expected to bring only smaller enhancements, such as snoozing notifications and tracking stocks, supporting earlier reports that Apple is pushing off major new features to iOS 13 in order to focus on stability this time around. Gurman also suggests that Apple is going to be making a strong push on encouraging watchOS app development in advance of new Apple Watches with edge-to-edge screens expected to arrive in the fall.