Researcher believes all Apple products will be refreshed again this year

Jan 16, 2013 13:31 GMT  ·  By

As 2013 is only just beginning, Apple’s product roadmap is open to speculation. Doing what analysts do best, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has released a research note for investors outlining his predictions for 2013 and the products coming out of Apple.

Kuo starts with the iPhone department, where he believes Apple will make a few changes this year. Instead of launching just one new iteration, Kuo foresees two new versions of the handset – one iPhone 5S with an A7 silicon, and a cheaper iPhone 5 wrapped in plastic.

On the iPad front, Apple will have an all-Retina lineup this year, says Kuo. The MacBook Air, on the other hand, is still not getting a HiDPI display because of its thinness, according to the analyst.

However, the laptops will move to Intel's forthcoming Haswell platform, he predicts.

The same Haswell processors will go into the MacBook Pro, according to Kuo, who predicts that the entire lineup of Pro laptops from Apple will have Retina displays by the end of the year.

Desktop-wise, Apple will only upgrade the iMac internally, according to his research note, which doesn’t mention anything about the Mac Pro or the Mac mini.

Apple will discontinue the fourth-generation iPod touch, Kuo continues. In its place there will be a new iPod touch with 8GB of storage and no rear camera, he says.

Finally, Kuo lays out his predictions on the Apple TV. He doesn’t see Apple launching anything too revolutionary this year (as in a full-fledged HD television set), but he does forecast a minor upgrade to the current set-top box model.

Kuo is conservative about Apple’s foray into the television business citing failed negotiations between the Cupertino giant and the cable companies.