Apple Release Roundup: iPhone 6s Release, 12-inch MacBook Air Retina, New 2015 MacBook Pro Killer Features

Apple will reportedly be releasing a series of refreshed products this year, including the iPhone 6s, the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air and 2015 MacBook Pro model. The recent specs details come from analyst predictions and patent sightings.

iPhone 6s

In a recent note analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple's next iPhone, highly predicted to the iPhone 6s, will feature an upgraded Touch ID sensor to offer safer Apple Pay experience. The analyst also says that the Touch ID will likely be incorporated still in the home button as Apple may be far off from including it in the display panels.

Kuo explains in the note obtained by AppleInsider: "Though Apple has filed patents for the integration of Touch ID and touch panel, this isn't likely to bear fruit near term as complex algorithms and sapphire cover lens are also required. We therefore don't see any impact on supply chain momentum."

There are also talks about a virtual reality headset in the making as Apple gains patent grant for a US Patent Application 8,957,835 entitled "Head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display." The technology will allow people to mount their iPhones on a headset and adjust the iPhone display to be at level with the eyes.

12-inch Retina MacBook Air and 2015 MacBook Pro

A new report from apple.club.tw claims that people will soon be including the Touch ID on the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air. The blog notes that Apple plans to include the feature to allow Macs to process Apple Pay transactions. Likewise, the website also says that the update will go beyond the MacBook Air but also upcoming MacBook Pro models. Considering that Touch ID sensors may not be fitted to the top of the trackpad, there are expectations the technology will be embedded in the trackpad instead.

The inclusion of the biometrics sensors in the MacBooks is also supposed by another recent patent sighting. US Patent filing 20150049275 entitled: Hinged Portable Electronic Device with Display Circuitry Located in Base" discusses the use of a hinge to allow Touch ID features and cellular connectivity. Apple has not released any official details of the devices mentioned yet. As with other patent filings, the technologies may not or may not find their way to Apple’s official releases.

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