Apple may be turning the spotlight to the thinness of its devices, according to a report from Mark Gurman in the PowerOn newsletter. Gurman suggests that the iPhone 17 series, as well as the MacBook and Apple Watch, could significantly reduce thickness.

This news follows Apple’s recently released iPad Pro, which opted for a slimmer design without significantly sacrificing performance or battery life; This feat was likely made possible by Apple’s own M-series chips that power the iPad and MacBook lines.

However, Gurman’s report did not include specific information about how thin these devices would be or the problems that might arise. Making a device thinner often means that the manufacturer has to cut back on some hardware features or introduce innovative technologies to compensate.

Considering the compact form factor of phones in general, which requires larger batteries and camera sensors, creating a thinner design without compromising user experience will be an important milestone for the brand.

In context, previous thinner MacBooks looked aesthetically pleasing but were plagued by issues like thermal regulation, keyboard issues, and limited CPU/GPU capabilities. Although Apple Silicon has solved many of these problems, the thinner designs of iPhones, MacBooks, and watches can result in reduced battery life. Performance gains from future chips may alleviate this to some extent, but the reduction in overall battery life could be a major concern for advanced users.

Considering Gurman’s track record, it seems reasonable for Apple to focus on thin devices. However, while the redesign of the iPhone 17 and MacBook/Watch is more than a year away, it is not yet known how Apple plans to make this transition without sacrificing performance and battery life.

What we know for sure is that Apple is currently focusing on the iPhone 16 series, which is expected to be released in September.