Apple’s ‘Innovation’ event last-minute rumours: Pencil support is out but a new iPad is in

And reverse wireless charging might not show up either

Life

Image: Apple

Apple’s annual autumn iPhone event is a mere hour away, but the rumours are still coming in. First, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is predicting that Apple will be dropping the number from its high-end iPhones, leaving the naming as: iPhone 11, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max. Previous rumours suggested ’11’ would be included in all three names.

However, the new devices might not be as ‘pro’ as we think. As Macrumors reports, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has some predictions of his own, and is debunking two rumoured features we were counting on. Most notably, he said the new devices will not support the Apple Pencil, so you won’t be able to take notes or draw on the screen.

Also seemingly axed from the release is reverse wireless charging, which would allow you to use the back to charge another device, such as another iPhone or an AirPods case. Samsung already offers this feature on the Galaxy S10 and Note 10, but according to Kuo, “the charging efficiency may not meet Apple’s requirements.” Apple cancelled AirPower earlier this year for similar reasons.

But while they won’t be able to share their battery, the new phones might be able to charge faster out of the box. According to Kuo, the iPhone Pro models will ship with an 18W USB-C-to-Lightning power adapter to support fast charging without needing to buy extra equipment. However, the cheaper 6.1″ iPhone will continue to ship with the same 5W adapter, Kuo said.

Kuo also claimed that all three iPhones will offer ultra-wideband (UWB) support for better indoor navigation. That will be helpful for mapping purposes and will presumably play a big role in Apple’s rumoured Bluetooth trackers that will likely debut at the event. With UWB, Apple could use augmented reality to track lost items that are out of Bluetooth range.

Finally, Gurman aid Apple will announce its long-rumoured 10.2″ iPad today. He describes it as entry-level, so it will presumably replace the existing sixth-generation 9.7″ model and retain a similar form factor with Touch ID. The current model hasn’t been updated since March 2018.

IDG News Service

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