Apple Predictions 2017: What We Hope to See in the New Year

2017 could very well be the year that Apple brings it’s hockey puck set top box into the current resolution craze of 4K TV. While Apple TV started out as a “hobby,” it’s currently doing very well, thank you, as one of the top four streaming devices in homes. Apple TV typically receives a boost in the holiday season as well, but to break out of its current sales position, the Apple TV is going to have to offer a 4K model. The iPhone 7 already has the ability, while Chromecast , Amazon , and Roku (currently top of the roost) have all beaten Apple to the specification.

With the disappointing upgrade represented by the iPhone 7, Apple’s got some leapfrogging to do. Add to that a 10-year anniversary for the smartphone that Jobs built and you’ve got a recipe for something special from Apple in 2017. The iPhone 8 may even release alongside the more typical “S” series phones for the iPhone 7 models as well, which could make for a very interesting year, indeed. With rumors of an all-glass, edge-to-edge display and a virtual Home button (a feature that makes sense given Apple’s current use of the Taptic engine in the current iPhone models), the 8 should be the iPhone that wows both critics and fans alike.

Here’s hoping that Apple in 2017 will finally refresh its industry-dominating iPad lineup this coming year, with a new iPad Pro model to fit in between its gargantuan 10.9-inch Pro model and “boring” 9.7-inch Pro device. If nothing else, we hope to see updates specs on the iPad Air and Pro models of both sizes. It might be too much to ask to see a similar update to the iPad mini line, but we’re going out on a limb and hoping for that as well.

We’re not of the opinion that Apple is getting out of the computer business, even if the tech giant only updated its Macbook Pro line this year with an odd little [Touchbar](http://appadvice.com/post/new-macbook-pro-touch-bar-reviews-reviews-mixed/727239) feature. Apple will need to update the rest of its line of non-iOS devices, including the iMac and Macbook lines. We’d love to see a new Mac Mini, of course, though that seems as unlikely as a new Mac Pro at this point. Nevertheless, Apple in 2017 will have to bring some energy to the traditional computing line this coming year, or see even more defection from its ranks.

The Tim Cook era of Apple has been marked by staggering profits and high visibility mistakes, as well as predictable prognostication on how the company isn’t innovating any more. We’d love to see Apple tear past that perception by becoming a wildcard again. Here’s to a 2017 that surprises us all. Let’s not be happy with a possible Home assistant based on Siri or the (too often) rumored Apple smart car . What we want to see is a passionate, truly unapologetic tech company that blows the lid off some new technology segment, or polarizes excitement around a brand-new vision of computing, just like it used to. Apple in 2017 needs to be magical.

What do you think? Will Apple meet or exceed expectations this coming year? What do you most want to see from Apple in 2017? Let us know in the comments below.