Commentators have been insisting from last year that Apple may make large-scale changes in the iPhone models of 2020 since it skipped doing so in 2019. A new rumor has now been floated by the Japanese microblogging site MacOtakara that the iPhone 12 models to be released this Fall will support a communication standard IEEE 802.11ay. This may be different from the Wi-Fi 7 standard that is expected to be the next version. The current Wi-Fi version is Wi-Fi 6. It is learned that the new IEEE 802.11ay standard is still under different stages of development and will be released for use by the end of the year.

Short-Range Communication Enabled with this Technology

Experts describe this new communication technology as a facilitator of short-range communication similar to an arrangement in an IoT type of environment where a few connected devices in close proximity communicate with each other. Apple could deploy this to facilitate the AirDrop feature where iPhones can communicate with others. The idea may be to include other Apple devices like iPads and iMacs as well. Some observers are also quick to refer back to a report in 2018 on the deployment of the 802.11ay wireless standard that could permit Apple’s AR/VR headset to function independently of the iPhone or iMac.

You never know what is up with Apple until the company puts out its own blog explaining the use cases of this new Wi-Fi standard. You will have to believe this rumor and the explanation given. There are those who are certain that the company may not rush in with the AR/VR headsets beyond their being coupled with an iPhone or an iPad.

Interestingly, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg had predicted that Apple would be launching an iPad Pro in the first quarter of 2020 with a 3D sensor. He had speculated that the launch event for iPad Pro would be used as the platform to launch its own AR/VR products. He had argued that the iPhone 12 models will also feature the 3D sensor. There are strong indications of Apple working on AR/VR headsets which will enable playing games, watching videos, etc.

There have been similar reports just a few days earlier of Apple launching an iPad Pro model in the first quarter of this year with a 3D sensor.