Gather around! We finally have the date and the e-invite for the next Apple Event, sporting a tagline of Peek Performance. By the name, I’m guessing we’re going to be getting a peek at performance? Just a hunch. Anyway, the date is Tuesday, March 8, at 11:30 PM IST, and here’s everything we’re expecting from this year’s Spring event.
The iPhone SE 3
The Special Edition or SE iPhones have always tasted success. Apple’s funda of launching iPhones with the old yet beloved look and latest-generation features gave them nostalgic value, besides helping them price these devices competitively.
Apple last updated iPhone SE in 2020 and it was long due for an upgrade. As you might know already, there have been quite a few rumours around it. To begin with, we expect the SE 3 or the iPhone SE 2022 to gain 5G support and could come with the A15 Bionic processor that does duty on its bigger 13 series cousins. Bumped up cameras, better screen resolution, and enhanced battery life might also be on their way.
As far as the design is concerned, Ming Chi Kuo says Apple may carry on with the same iPhone 8 chassis. We’d be super excited to see a full-screen display with a notch and Touch ID on the power button. But that’s highly unlikely. Looking at the layers of colours on the Apple logo on the invite for the event, we might get introduced to some fancy looking iPhone SE 3.
New MacBook Air with an M2 Processor
Similar to the iPhone SE, Apple’s entry-level MacBook last had a facelift in 2020. While the MacBook Air did get a shot in the arm, being one of the first devices to transition to Apple Silicon, the design is 2020 and March 8 could be the date. The next MacBook Air is expected to sport a bezel-less screen, colourful chassis, and an upgraded webcam.
Also, if Apple wants us to peek at its performance, it might as well introduce an M2 processor. There have been rumours that Apple is working on the next generation M processors. The M2 is expected to be faster than the M1 but not as fast as the M1 Pro or Max chipsets. The Pro and Max nomenclature is probably being reserved for the fastest Macs. So, an updated MacBook Air with an M2 chipset might help get us off our chairs.
iPad Air 5
We anticipate that Apple might upgrade its iPad Air next week with a more powerful A15 Bionic processor, 5G support, and a couple of other goodies. The Air 4 misses out on stuff like better rear cameras, 1080p video recording in 25 and 30fps, and Centre Stage support in the front camera. Moreover, the Air is currently offered with a single rear camera. The next model could come with two lenses similar to the iPhone 13 model.
Entry-level MacBook Pro
Last year when Apple upgraded the Pro MacBooks, they installed them with their most powerful chipsets. With bezel-less screens, upgraded webcam, MagSafe support, and 120Hz display refresh rates, the new MacBook Pros became expensive. Most of us don’t really need the power of the M1 Pro, let alone the M1 Max, but would still love the ProMotion displays and better quality webcams.
It’ll be nice to see Apple introducing all the best features of last year’s MacBook Pros with a slightly less powerful chipset and price it somewhere close to the current M1 MacBook Pro.
Bigger iMac with Apple Silicon and a new Mac Pro
Same time last year Apple upgraded it’s 24-inch iMac model and transitioned it to the M1 processor. Similarly, new colours had been introduced. Next week we might witness an upgrade to the bigger 27-inch iMac device. Apple might change the nomenclature to call it an iMac Pro and install the bigger desktop with the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors.
Not all Macs have transitioned to Apple Silicon, and that’s why I feel that next week Apple might upgrade their Mac Pro CPU to spot their inherent chipset. Or, as the tagline suggests, we might get a sneak-peek into what’s coming in terms of pure performance.
Operating System Updates
The developer beta versions of iOS and iPadOS 15.4 were recently released. So was the next macOS 12.3. We expect a public release for these after the Peek Performance event. New emojis, face mask support for FaceID, and Universal Control will be available post the software updates on supported devices.
New iPad Pro
Since performance is the highlight of next week’s event, I won’t be surprised to see an iPad Pro with Apple’s M1 Pro chipset. Having a top-performing iPad Pro might be overkill, but it’ll definitely make the iPad Pro the emperor in the tablet market.
Anyway, all that is to say there’s a lot to come. We won’t know until March 8 what the first launches of 2022 will be from the Cupertino tech giant. You can watch the event live on YouTube. We will also be covering the event live on Instagram and Twitter, as always. See y’all on Tuesday at 11:30 PM!
