Apple is working on so many cool products, but I just can't understand why these are not among them
There are at least three potentially great Apple devices I would love to see released in the near future that the company is unfortunately not working on.
While we've all gotten used to hearing regular updates on possible Apple plans from typically reliable insiders like Mark Gurman or Ming Chi-Kuo, it's definitely rare to be able to get such detailed looks behind Cupertino's locked doors as what official macOS code provided this week.
But as intrigued as I am by just how much outrage the camera-equipped AirPods will cause among privacy-concerned consumers and as giddy with excitement the child in me inherently gets when hearing one of the world's biggest tech companies is cooking up a robot... of sorts, I find myself more focused on and more bothered by the products Apple is apparently not preparing.
Where's our screenless iBand Air?
Okay, I'll admit that name is... not great. But whatever you think it should be called, Apple's first activity tracker should have been a thing years ago. Now, I know that budget-friendly equivalents of popular devices like the Apple Watch line with humbler overall capabilities don't sound like the company's M.O., but isn't that exactly what the HomePod mini is... minus the full-sized HomePod's popularity?
There are no words on a potential Apple rival for Google's Fitbit Air just yet. | Image by PhoneArena
If Apple's first diminutive smart speaker warrants a sequel, Google's Fitbit Air certainly justifies a Cupertino-made rival after an impressive reported debut at the global box-office. That's right, market research firms are already calling screenless trackers the wearable industry's next big possible growth driver, and despite Apple's clear domination in the worldwide smartwatch space, I know the tech giant isn't just going to rest on its laurels and be happy with keeping Samsung's Galaxy Watch portfolio at bay.
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Would you be interested in any of these (imaginary) Apple products?
Could Apple actually make a satisfactory profit on a $100 or so Fitbit Air alternative? Probably not, but if it's good enough, with a stylish and lightweight design, great battery life, and smooth integration with the rest of its ecosystem, the company's rookie fitness band effort could be successful even at a $200 price tag. First, of course, Apple needs to understand the potential of this fledgling product category, which I hope happens sooner rather than later.
What about a kid-friendly Apple Watch?
Technically, the most recent wearable market report suggested two segments have clear growth potential, and Apple's presence in the "advanced sports smartwatch" division is already about as strong as it could be.
The Apple Watch SE 3 is great for anyone (including children), but Apple could further expand the appeal and diversity of its smartwatch family. | Image by PhoneArena
But while "basic watch" demand is slipping around the world, I think there's a sub-class of low-cost smartwatches that industry heavyweights like Apple, Samsung, Google, and Huawei are not taking seriously enough. Garmin tried something in that space with the LTE-connected Bounce and Bounce 2, and while the two kid-friendly timepieces never broke into the mainstream, their core functionality and target audience should inspire a future addition to the Apple Watch family.
What Apple needs to do is lower the $299.99 price point by any means necessary and make the design as thin, light, and playful as possible. That's definitely not an easy task to complete, which might be why this exact plan was abandoned in the lead-up to last year's Apple Watch SE 3 launch.
But because "mainstream" smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 11 and, presumably, the impending Series 12 have become rather boring and repetitive, I believe that's a project worth revisiting as soon as possible. And no, I don't think Apple's children-oriented wearable should replace the Apple Watch SE line, but rather complement it and further diversify the company's smartwatch options. Now tell me that's not a better idea than following up the failed Vision Pro with another overpriced and useless mixed reality headset!
You know what, this is my byline and my editorial, so as unlikely as it might sound to all my "grounded" and "level-headed" readers and friends out there, I will make the case for a new member of Apple's industry-leading iPad family as well. And no, I'm not talking about a next-gen iPad mini we all know is coming soon... and we all know is going to cost a lot for a pint-sized tablet.
Now, here's the thing. I realize that, if you take a quick look at the latest quarterly tablet market report, you will not get the sense that Apple is in any kind of trouble there. But that 7.5 percent year-over-year drop in sales is not the type of result that will make newly appointed CEO John Ternus sleep very peacefully at night, and the company's 7.9 percent increase in its Q1 2026 shipments compared to the same period of last year wasn't exactly great either.
The A16-powered iPad is not bad, but it's also not affordable enough for all prospective buyers and Apple fans. | Image by PhoneArena
Not when Lenovo improved its scores by 20 percent during the year's first three months and an additional 27.1 percent in the April-June timeframe on the strengths of a bunch of jumbo-sized Android slates with surprisingly premium designs, excellent prices, and even more excellent specs and features.
Obviously, I'm not expecting Apple to release an affordable iPad with nine speakers or a user-removable battery, but what if we got an iPad SE or iPad e of some sort with an 11 or even 13-inch display and a starting price of $300 or so? I think that's something that could seriously mess up Lenovo's success story of the last few years... even though I'm very aware it's probably never going to happen. But hey, we all thought the same thing about that rumored tabletop robot at first, right?
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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