Following the bombshell about the iPhone 13 battery, TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has obtained new information about Apple's next products And unlike the still-distant iPhone 13, these are scheduled to appear in the first half of 2021

According to an investor research note seen by MacRumors, Apple plans to release new AirPods and an iPad with a mini LED display at some point in the next eight months

Starting with the AirPods, the main headline is that they will look more like the AirPods Pro, which are chunkier than the originals and will have a shorter stem and interchangeable ear tips Despite these design improvements, however, this is still an entry-level product and will not feature active noise cancellation like the more expensive Pro model Battery life will likely be improved Expect to see many of the older models in this year's AirPod Black Friday sale

And then there's the iPad The entry-level 102-inch iPad is getting an update, but the main improvement appears to be the screen, which will feature mini LED technology Mini LED displays, as you might expect, use a smaller percentage of LEDs than traditional LED screens, and individual controls improve local dimming, contrast, and overall brightness This should make the regular iPad much easier on the eyes

This is not the first time Kuo has predicted that mini-LED technology will be incorporated into Apple products; back in March, the 129-inch iPad Pro, 27-inch iMac Pro, 141-inch MacBook Pro, new 16-inch MacBook Pro, 79-inch iPad, and no less than six products with mini LED screens, including the 102-inch iPad discussed here, were expected to launch in 2020 and 2021

Considering that 2021 is only a month and a half away and there have been no mini-LED Apple products yet, it is likely that the original 2020-2021 timeframe has slipped a bit

Despite this, Apple had a busy year-end, running three events to introduce the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, HomePod mini, and Apple Silicon Mac to the world In addition, rumor has it that AirPods Studio and AirTags are waiting in the wings to be launched any day now

The AirPods 3 and the new iPad will launch in the first half of 2021, which is obviously a pretty wide window, but Apple has a history of releasing products as part of its March special events and WWDC developer conference, so the clever money is on these windows The smart money will be on these windows Attention