Apple March Event live blog: Official launch event invites have dropped

What about a new Mac Pro?

Could we see a Mac Pro at Apple’s March event? Although everything is possible, it is not so probable.

For the most part, Apple events outside of WWDC tend to be more consumer-focused than purely professional gear like a Mac Pro.

The various MacBook Pro models are about as high-end as things tend to be on the consumer side.

Still, WWDC isn’t too far away, so it’s certainly possible that Apple will announce more pro-oriented hardware ahead of the software-heavy WWDC, so a new Mac Pro debuting next week can’t be ruled out.

We actually published an article just hours before the invitations to the event ended, on the 2022 iPhone SE, and whether it’s worth buying a 2020 model before the event. You can read the whole thing here.

In short, it’s definitely worth waiting for the new device to drop before you consider buying a 2020 or 2022 model. At worst, you’ll just have to wait a few days, and get a bit more context. for your buying decision. At best, the old model might get a big price cut, or the new device might be a lot cheaper.

27-inch iMac with Apple M2

Another possible reveal during the Apple March event could be the 27-inch iMac, sporting the same redesign we saw with the iMac (24-inch, 2021).

Part of the reason we didn’t get a 27in iMac last year is that the screen may have been too big for the Apple M1 to run effectively with the resolution and refresh rate. expected by users.

If there’s one thing Apple is good at, it’s not releasing a product that doesn’t live up to expectations.

An M2 chip, however, could be more than enough to deliver the kind of performance customers expect from a 27-inch iMac, which is more likely to see more professional use than the smaller 24-inch model.

The 27-inch iMac also needs a refresh anyway, as it’s been nearly two years since the last 27-inch iMac was released, so the typical 18-24 month cadence lines up for a March reveal.

There are still plenty of months left in the year, so it’s also possible that the 27-inch iMac with M2 could be announced closer to WWDC 2022 to give Apple professional developers a new tool to work with.

Apple Glasses Could Be Real

It took a while but the more we watched it Tweet by Greg Joswiak announcing the March 8 event, most realized something was wrong with the video.

Now, after further investigation, we are basically convinced that this is an Apple Glass demo, and the video was shot through the wearable hardware that has been talked about for a long time.

More evidence: Apple says “Peek”, a word that means to look at something!

More evidence, Apple hid an AR Easter egg in the invite on their event page.

We now think it’s quite possible that Apple will at least demonstrate the long-hidden and never-confirmed project at its March event.

Here’s something we expect to drop based on precedent, though the leaks haven’t said much about it.

iPad Pro (2022)

Apple launched the 2020 and 2021 iPads in the first half of the year, usually at big flashy launch events, and leaks suggest a 2022 model is on the way as well.

To us, that feels like a new one might be on the way. We haven’t heard too many specific leaks about this new version, but we haven’t heard about the 2021 edition.

This is Apple’s high-end tablet, available in 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions. If the new M2 chipset is introduced, new tablets could use it.

Will we see a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2?

There has been a lot of speculation about the fate of the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Last released alongside the MacBook Air in 2020, the 13-inch MacBook Pro also featured the M1 chip with a slightly larger GPU (eight cores instead of seven), and also had cooling fans so that the performance of the M1 are not throttled under heavy workloads.

The rumor mill has been swirling news that the 13-inch Pro model will release with the new M2 chip this year, but it probably won’t get a complete overhaul the way the MacBook Air is expected to receive.

That makes sense, since the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021) was just released late last year and features the more powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. Even the M1 Pro should be more powerful than the M2 chip, which is more geared towards the mainstream market than the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

It really makes the market for a 13-inch MacBook Pro much smaller, so it’s likely that the 13-inch model will be phased out in favor of the 14-inch, so it makes no sense to give it a redesign for then stop- the right after.

Given the very The colorful, segmented Apple logo from the Apple March event teaser video, however, just about every sign points to the introduction of colorful Apple products during the event.

This could be more about the iPhone SE 3 than a MacBook product, in which case a base Space Gray 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 could be introduced instead of a colored MacBook Air. We just don’t know, but either outcome is possible.

We also just posted a quick guide on how to watch Apple’s March event, so be sure to bookmark the page and follow us on March 8 as Apple unveils its latest products during its first major event of 2022.

iPad Air 5

The same backer who correctly predicted the Apple March event would be on the 8th and said the iPhone SE 3 would be there, also said another device would show up: the iPad Air 5.

This is the latest tablet in Apple’s mid-range iPad Air family, following the October 2020 iPad Air (2020) – Apple does not generally use a regular release cycle for these Air tablets, so its launch would not be surprising, but neither would its absence.

The leaks are relatively light to the ground for this one, but it looks like it will have a 10.9-inch LCD screen, the A15 Bionic chipset and 5G connectivity.

Apple MacBook Air (2022) with the new Apple M2 chip

Another long-awaited reveal we expect to see is the new Apple MacBook Air (2022), powered by Apple’s next-generation silicon, the Apple M2 chip.

The Apple MacBook Air (2020) saw the debut of Apple’s new Arm-based processor technology, and it’s nothing short of revolutionary.

Since Apple switched from Intel to its own big.LITTLE processor, Intel itself has made the jump to the same architecture, and even Microsoft has reportedly even explored its own Arm-based chips for its Surface devices.

What hasn’t changed with the MacBook Air (2020), however, is the design of the laptop. This is perhaps the biggest innovation we’ll see next week, as we expect the new MacBook Air (2022) to sport a variety of new colors similar to those we saw with the latest 24-inch iMac. (2021).

All I can say is that it’s time. A purple MacBook Air might just be the thought that makes me ditch Windows PCs for good. Make it happen, Apple.

iPhone SE 3 or SE 2022

Rumors have swirled about an iPhone SE 3 launching in early 2022, with one leaker going so far as to point the finger at March 8 an entire month ago.

It is a successor to the iPhone SE (2020), which itself was the second generation version of the iPhone SE (2016), and it is the mid-range device range. Apple’s lineup that are affordable alternatives to its flagship products.

Leaks indicate that the iPhone SE 3 has 5G and a newer chipset than its predecessor, but a similar design to that older device.

Well, the invitations have arrived and the TechRadar offices have become a hive of activity. Let’s start by giving you a general overview of what we expect.