Apple has not yet announced when its next special event will be, but the news appears to have leaked to the company’s voice assistant Siri.
When editors at the Apple news blog MacRumors asked Siri when the next Apple Event is, the voice assistant responded with: “The special event is on Tuesday, April 20, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA.”
The company has already confirmed that, over the coming weeks, it will be introducing a new privacy notification that will enable users to prevent companies such as Facebook from tracking their activity on other apps and websites – much to Facebook’s anger.
Among the products expected to be launched are a new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which Bloomberg News reported would be showcased in the middle of this month.
While the company usually saves its bigger product launches for events towards the end of the year – with three being held last autumn due to the COVID-19 pandemic – a handful of new gadgets are expected.
Among the devices Apple launched last year were new computers – laptops and desktops – running on Apple’s own chips, as well as new Apple Watches, and of course the new range of iPhones too.
Facebook has warned that it sees Apple as a major competitor as both companies move forwards with plans for augmented reality glasses.
Apple is rumoured to be working on a VR headset filled with cameras and features that could set consumers back $3,000 a unit, although it is not known whether these will be released any time soon.
Despite being rumoured at the time, none of these events brought in the most novel addition to the company’s line-up, Apple AirTags, which would work similarly to the Tile Bluetooth trackers.
These are physical tags that can be added to a keyring or another item and then located in the physical world by using an app, and they’re among the products suggested for Apple’s rumoured event.
Particularly exciting is the idea of an augmented reality tracker which would enable users to open their iPhone and get an overlay of where the tag is located – which could be particularly handy for the age-old problem of not knowing where you left your keys.
Even if the tag has been left further afield, there are suggestions it could be located by other iPhones through Apple’s “Find My” app mesh network.