The success of the thinner iPad Pro was just the beginning.
AI SUMMARY
- Apple reportedly wants the iPhone 17 to be significantly thinner.
- The company is also working on making the MacBook Pro and Apple Watch thinner.
- The plan is to make these devices the thinnest and lightest in their categories across the industry.
When Apple launched its new, thinner iPad Pro in May, it harkened back to a time when Apple was focused on making its devices as thin as possible. With the company planning to shrink its iPhones, MacBook Pros, and Apple Watches, it seems like this mindset is making a comeback.
Apple's iPad Pro update makes the tablet thinner, but maintains the same battery life as the older model, and includes an M4 chip to make it as powerful as a desktop. In other words, Apple found a way to shrink the tablet's size without making any compromises. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple believes it can do the same with other products.
According to Gurman's sources, the Cupertino-based company is focusing on developing "significantly thinner" phones for 2025 in time for the iPhone 17. This is reportedly just part of a broader effort to slim down the MacBook Pro and Apple Watch. Gurman added that Apple intends to make these devices the industry's thinnest and lightest in their categories.
This information coincides with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's prediction for the second half of 2023. In his prediction, Kuo claimed that the company will use thinner, RCC technology motherboard technology for the high-end iPhone 17 models. RCC can reduce the thickness of the mainboard (i.e., it can save internal space) and make the drilling process easier because it’s fiberglass-free. However, RCC will not be adopted in the 2024 iPhone 16 due to its fragile characteristics and inability to pass drop tests. Currently, Ajinomoto is the leading supplier of RCC material. If Apple and Ajinomoto can improve the RCC material before 3Q24, the 2025 new high-end iPhone 17 models will use it.