WWDy or not, here we come - Apple iBooks Author EoL + new hardware rumors

[williamcll]

While everyone is readying up for the WWDC at the end of the month such as the possible ARM macs. The company has made some other changes to their systems along the way, including ending support for iBooks Author. Apple recommends that everyone who have been using Author to switch to Apple Pages instead.

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Apple today sent out an email to iBooks Author users, letting them know that the Mac app is being discontinued on July 1 and removed from the App Store.

"As we focus our efforts on Pages, ‌iBooks‌ Author will no longer be updated and will soon be removed from the Mac App Store. You can continue to use ‌iBooks‌ Author on macOS 10.15 and earlier, and books previously published to Apple Books will remain available. If you have ‌iBooks‌ Author books you'd like to import into Pages for further editing, we have a book import feature coming to Pages soon."

 

 

In the future, Apple plans to add an import feature to Pages to allow books to be imported into the app, and a support document covers details on how users can transition from the ‌iBooks‌ Author app to the Pages app. Apple first debuted iBooks Author for to allow Mac users to create ebooks in 2012, providing tools for creating textbooks, cookbooks, picture books, and more for the ‌iPad‌. Apple offered templates and page layout options, along with drag and drop editing tools, but most of those features are now available in Pages.

Other than that, new registrations for iphones and a Mac have been discovered as well, it is unsure if they will be announced in WWDC.

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The new and unannounced iPhones use the previously unknown model identifiers A2176, A2172, A2341, A2342, A2399, A2403, A2407, A2408, and the A2411. Rumors have suggested Apple will complete its transition to an all-OLED lineup for this year's "iPhone 12," with one new 5.4-inch device, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch handset. Rumors suggest the 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and one 6.1-inch model will be higher-end OLED devices with triple-lens cameras, while the 5.4 and 6.1-inch models will be lower-end iPhones with dual-lens cameras and a more affordable price tag.

Based on the new model numbers, it's possible that the A2176 and the A2172 refer to the two more affordable models, while the other numbers could be variants of the high-end models. All of the models are listed as running iOS 13. Apple is expected to release new iPhones in the fall.

In addition to the new ‌‌iPhone‌ filings, Apple also registered a previously unseen Mac model with the identifier A2330 and running macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Mark Gurman said in late April that a "substantial" iMac update with a possible redesign would be coming later in the year, and on Monday, Sonny Dickson claimed that a redesigned iMac with "iPad Pro design language" will be coming at this month's WWDC.

Similar EEC filings have preceded the launch of new Apple products on numerous occasions, including multiple ‌iPad‌, ‌iPad Pro‌, ‌iPhone‌, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods models. The filings are legally required for any encrypted devices sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/10/apple-discontinuing-ibooks-author/

https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/11/new-iphone-mac-models-spotted-eurasian-database/

Thoughts: Well the iMac could use a change in design anytime soon, but I don't have much expectation from the iPhone. But at least that means last generation models might get discounts which I might think about for my brother (who is actually more keen on getting a microsoft surface instead).

[Commodus]

The iPhones won't get updated until the fall, and I wouldn't count on the Mac in that filing representing anything that's coming at WWDC.

 

With that said: while I'm skeptical of the rumours, I'm still hoping for a redesigned iMac around WWDC.  Thin-bezel display (hopefully with a larger screen), SSD storage, much-needed upgrades to CPUs and video?  I'm all on it.

[rockking1379]

Am I the only one who wants an iPad Pro feature set but in the iPad mini form factor? No? Great. Apple can you just get on that already

[Techstorm970]

28 minutes ago, rockking1379 said:

Am I the only one who wants an iPad Pro feature set but in the iPad mini form factor? No? Great. Apple can you just get on that already

And then you have people like me who dread doing work on a machine with a 13" or smaller screen...  

[DrMacintosh]

32 minutes ago, rockking1379 said:

Am I the only one who wants an iPad Pro feature set but in the iPad mini

The problem with that is that the iPad Mini is just way too small for a lot of things. 

[williamcll]

Update: a recent image appeared in a system library

 

[Commodus]

13 hours ago, rockking1379 said:

Am I the only one who wants an iPad Pro feature set but in the iPad mini form factor? No? Great. Apple can you just get on that already

That would be a pretty great device for reading, but I suspect Apple's not in a rush.  If it happens, my guess is that it'll have a larger screen (in similar dimensions) to justify its existence versus an iPhone.  And I suspect you wouldn't get a keyboard given how ridiculously tiny it'd be, but that's fine... another area where Apple can trim the price.

[Fnige]

On 6/13/2020 at 12:46 PM, DrMacintosh said:

The problem with that is that the iPad Mini is just way too small for a lot of things. 

essentially too big to be a phone but too small to be a possible alternative to a computer

[williamcll]

Update: Apple is now sending out invites to WWDC now

https://developer.apple.com/wwdc20/