Here’s our wishes and predictions on what Apple will bring us in 2013:

Mac

Intel is expected to release its Haswell processors between March to June 2013. Haswell is the successor to the Ivy Bridge processors, and Apple will definitely update its Mac line to use this new family of processors.

Apple will continue to sell the standard MacBook Pro along side MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and there will be no cosmetic changes but spec bump with the new Haswell processor.

New MacBook Air 13 inch is expected to be smaller and lighter, as its thinnest does not proved to be an advantage next to the new 13 inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

As promised by Tim Cook himself, we will finally see an update to the Mac Pro line in Spring. The last Mac Pro update is in August 2010. We suspect the new Mac Pro line will be a brand new design. This year will also see Apple refocus back the enterprise, and the new Mac Pro is designed to target this market.

iPhone

We predict Apple to release an update to iPhone in September. It is likely called iPhone 5S based on past models, have the same appearance as iPhone 5 but with spec bump. Besides the usual black and white premium models of iPhone 5S, Apple will for the first time expand its iPhone range to include iPhone with colour options, similar to current generation iPod touch. This new range will be priced cheaper with last-generation (i.e. iPhone 5) specifications.

iPad

Apple will update its iPad to have the same slate and white design as current iPad mini, with a thinner body and spec bump. It will be lighter, run longer and cooler than current generation iPad. iPad mini will be refreshed with the same design but a Retina display and minor spec bump. Both updates are expected around September together with the new iPhone.

New Products

Apple is likely to unveil a new product category in spring. Will this be the year Apple unveils its long rumoured HDTV? Will it be the brand new rumoured bluetooth smart watch? Will it be new Mac that targets the enterprise? Will Apple launches a Spotify competitor? Whatever this product might be is any body’s guess.

Misc

This year will see Apple introduce new Wi-Fi 802.1ac as standard across Mac, iPhone and iPad. Consequently, AirPort products such as AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express will be refreshed to support the new standard.

27-inch Thunderbolt Display will get an update when Apple introduces its new Mac Pro line. The new Thunderbolt Display will have the same thin design as seen in new iMac.

Software wise, Apple will release iOS 7 and Mac OS X 10.9. We predict changes in the lock screen in iOS 7, minor changes in control element to give iOS a minor refreshed look. Apple will tout its improved Maps in one of its media event, and there will be a new killer feature in Maps to bring interests back to its Maps app.

This year will likely see the ability for iOS and Mac App Store to include charges for app upgrade. It will be made available in iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 at end of the year, preparing the release of new iWorks at end 2013 or early 2014.

We will finally see an SDK for Apple TV, preparing developers for the future release app market for the Apple TV and thus the follow-up HDTV. 

Apple released its latest iOS 6 beta 4 for its developer community on August 6. It has been over a month and there is no sight of iOS 6 beta 5. Typically Apple releases a beta version of iOS every 2-3 weeks. This lapse of iOS 6 beta 5 release leads us some speculations.

Since the iPhone 5 announcement is only next Wednesday, it is likely that the next iOS 6 beta release will be the GM (Gold Master) release to be revealed together at the iPhone 5 media event. There will not be an iOS beta 5. The final release of iOS 6 will coincide with the release date of iPhone 5, which is expected to be 1-2 weeks after next week’s announcement.

iOS 6 beta GM will contain information about iPhone 5 hardware for sure. This is the main reason Apple delays the beta release. As widely rumoured, iPhone 5 will have a longer display resolution at  640 X 1136, an increase from the current 640×960. We expect existing apps will run unchanged on iPhone 5, but requires update by developers to take advantage of the increased resolution.

Apple might surprise us with new iOS 6 features or new built-in apps or new iPhone 5 hardware feature. All the details will be unveiled next Wednesday at the iPhone 5 media event. 

Apple refreshed its notebook lineup during WWDC in June. Tim Cook has mentioned that Mac Pro refresh will only come in 2013. iMac and Mac mini are the two remaining Macs that are without any refresh even with the abundance of next-gen Ivy Bridge processors. 

The time is almost ripe to finally see some spec bump for iMac and Mac mini. Slashgear has reported dwindling 27-inch iMac stocks in big name retailers including Best-Buy and J&R. We predict that Apple will refresh its remaining Mac lineup with the launch of OS X Mountain Lion. Apple can only confirm that OS X Mountain Lion will launch in July with no specific date.

Beside processor bump to the latest Ivy Bridge Core i7 and USB 3, the new iMac is likely to sport NVIDIA GPU, a transition from the AMD graphic processor used in past iMac. The question remains if there will be new Retina Display model for the new iMac. 

As for the Mac mini, the upgrade is expected to be minor with the inclusion of Ivy Bridge processor and USB 3 ports.

Apple did not announce new Mac Pro during its WWDC 2012 keynote. But soon after the event, the spec for Mac Pro on Apple’s online store got a speed bump, from old 6 core 2.93GHz Intel Xeon X5670 to 6 core 3.06GHz Intel Xeon X5675. Many Mac power users are not happy as there is no upgrade to at least Sandy Bridge E processor, there is no Thunderbolt port and there is no USB 3 port. Apple simply just bump the processor speed, and Mac Pro is stuck in year 2010 when it was last refreshed.

Fans of Mac Pro get a breather as Tim Cook has confirmed that a real Mac Pro refresh is coming in 2013. So the real fact is Mac Pro refresh is being delayed.

We speculate that one of the main reason for the delay is a rethink on Apple’s side on its desktop line. Mac Pro line when launch next year might finally get a new look. Arstechnica has written a well-researched article speculating the future Mac Pro, and we think the article hits the right spot about the complexity of designing Thunderbolt in Mac Pro, and we believe this is the main cause of the delay. 

The complicating issue is that Thunderbolt not only carries high-speed PCIe data, but must also carry DisplayPort video as well. On all other Macs, GPUs—whether integrated or discrete—are fixed. This makes it easy to pipe the DisplayPort output to the Thunderbolt port, which serves as both a high-speed interconnect as well as the connection for an external monitor. The Mac Pro, on the other hand, has removable PCIe-based graphics cards. How will Apple get the output of these cards into the Thunderbolt controller?

This leaked image from a forum in China, hours from official announcement, could be the real thing. It sports a brand new high end NVIDIA GT650M Kepler GPU, interesting as Apple made the switch to use AMD GPU just last year.

Broadcom says it has worked on and refined the existing BCM4330 design and reduced power a further 40-50% and dramatically reduced standby power by 3 orders of magnitude.

The new 40nm BCM4334 Wi-Fi chip is a step up from the 65nm BCM4330 used inside the new iPad and iPhone 4S. Let’s pray that this rumor is true.

Microsoft will launch Office for iPad on Nov. 10, The Daily has learned. This follows reports earlier this month that a late fall release was likely.

Take it as a rumor, it is a great feat to know the exact launch date as there is no official announcement from Microsoft yet.

There are always TBA sessions on the preliminary schedule, because there are always some sessions pertaining to new stuff that will be announced on Monday. But this year there seem to be more TBA sessions than usual — particularly in Presidio, the aforementioned biggest room for sessions in the building.

“To Be Announced” sessions are for product features with secrecy. The sessions might be for new features in iOS 6 and Mountain Lion, or as if the rumors have it, a new SDK platform for the TV.

According to Nikkei business daily, Sharp will supply the technical know-how to Hon Hai Precision Industry for a new plant in Chengdu to produce screen panels for iPhone. Hon Hai, being the parent company of Foxconn, invested about 46% stake in Sharp’s LCD plant in Sakai in March.

Apple appears to be the main driving force for the team-up between Sharp and Hon Hai. The partnership is positioned to become a major supplier of displays for Apple, joining Samsung and LG to meet Apple’s demand. The investment of Apple’s long time partners in Sharp in March also roused suspicion of a forth coming LCD TV from Apple. 

Sharp to supply technology to Hon Hai’s China plant: Nikkei