Apple Star: Is it a phone, a laptop, a tablet, or all three?
Rumours are circulating that Apple is hard at work on a new device codenamed ‘Star’. Details are scarce on the rumoured product, with guesses ranging from it being a low-cost iPhone to a ARM-equipped MacBook.
The most recent rumours point towards the device (which also bears the codename ‘N84’) being a budget LCD iPhone with the same appearance as last year’s iPhone X. However, with news circulating that this year’s range of handsets will be going OLED-exclusive, this theory is looking less and less likely.
I’m told this “N84” device is actually the low-cost LCD iPhone that looks like an iPhone X. https://t.co/KU0xhfkkHe https://t.co/YqiGMLHacb
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 26, 2018
Others are suggesting that this could be a device with the form-factor of a MacBook, with an ARM processor closer to what we normally see in mobile and tablet devices.
9to5Mac reports that the device runs a bit of code called Extensible Firmware Interface or EFI. Since this is the boot system used by Macs, this has led them to speculate that Star could be a laptop rather than a tablet or phone.
With the recent news that Apple is planning on moving away from using Intel chips in its MacBooks by 2020, we’re inclined to think these reports concern the future of the MacBook line rather than iPhones or iPads.
That said, these Intel rumours apparently had the internal codename ‘Kalamata’ rather than ‘Star’.
Whatever the specifics of the plan, it’s hard to argue that there aren’t big changes planned for Apple’s future devices. At this point, some sort of convergence between tablet and laptop seems inevitable. It just remains to be seen whether it’s iOS or MacOS that comes out on top.
What do you think is going on behind Apple’s closed doors? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
