It’s nearly show time

Writing this just before Peek Performance is streamed — and what we think we are getting

The wait has been long, the tech drought severe, but we are pretty much through the dark days. Tim Cook and Apple are about to step up to centre-stage (no pun intended — promise!) and deliver some much awaited cheer.

So, getting ready to throw myself under the rumours bus, let us have one last run through what we think we are getting shortly.

They do give the game away

Apple’s event invites, and what they actually mean

medium.com

The Studio Mac

Apparently, now confirmed, the brand-new range in the Mac lineup, and one aimed directly at the pro user. The Mac itself is taller than the existing Mac mini, but has the same actual footprint. Some other style cues will be taken from favourite, retro machines like the Power Mac G4 Cube. It will possibly have a plexiglass glass top and will be blessed with ports galore. We are not sure about internals, but we may see an Apple Silicon chip that is even more powerful than the current M1 Max. Again, prices and release dates are as yet to be confirmed.

That is only one half of the Studio Mac range, though. Along with the pro Studio Mac, we are also going to get a 27-inch Studio Display, which we believe to have an A-Series chip powering it. It is thought not to be mini LED, but will come complete with a stand! More monitors may follow later in the year.

iOS Colours

Both the iPhone 13 and iPad Air are to be brushed with a new lick of paint too. The iPhone will sport a lovely, non-metallic British Racing or Aston Martin green, and the iPad will be swathed in a lush purple colour which is very similar to the purple used on the current iPad Mini.

https://readmedium.com/apple-studio-is-a-thing-82848e4db458

iPad Air 5

We already knew that the iPad Air was to get 5G, but we did not expect the internals to change all that much.

But in rumours that literally started to surface only a few hours ago, it seems Apple are keen to bridge the gap between the Air and iPad Pro. It now seems likely that the iPad Air will have the same M1 chip that Apple uses in the 2021 model iPad Pro and also in the first generation of Apple Silicon Macs, which includes the 24-inch iMac and 2020 MacBook Air. Later this year, the iPad Pro will have its chip updated with a chip delivering even better performance than the M1 variation. The camera will get a bump, and will have Centre Stage, but the display resolution of the screen will remain as per that of the 4th generation.

It’s ready — Apple’s all-new external display

And it could even be announced this week!

medium.com

iPhone SE 3

Now in its third generation, this is the ‘affordable’ iPhone. Due to this, Apple analysts are forecasting it could convert up to a billion Android users to iPhone. This year’s SE will come with the same 4.7 inch LCD display and retain other iPhone 8 design styles. The processor will now be the A15 Bionic chip as per the one found in iPhone 13. If Apple follows the trend, the iPhone SE 3 will probably have a camera close to the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, as the current SE model has a sensor similar to the iPhone 11. Storage options will remain at 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB. It will also come with 5G connectivity as we knew, but feature no MagSafe. Prices will be at the existing $399 price point.

The M2 Chip

Until recently, we had assumed that the next generation of Apple Silicon, the M2, would be unveiled at the event. Now, however, in light of the last few days and the rumours we have heard, it would seem odd to be announcing a brand new, super powerful Studio Mac and a new chip too. Surely, it would make more sense now to announce the chip later in the year. M2 Macs, which are now being tested against App Store apps as I write, could ship this summer.

The Source of the rumours?

Many of these rumours seemed to have stemmed from a Korean blog site called Naver from a user named yeux1122. Apart from the stories above, they have also leaked information that the iPhone SE will feature Ceramic Shield, and a significantly better battery life. The account, which first surfaced last year, seems to be an aggregator of industry rumours and supply chain sources.

Conclusion

That is what we can expect to see in around ninety minutes from now. I am as keen as you to know if all these rumours come true.

I have just one quick thought though, do you think these are genuine rumours, or possibly crumbs ‘leaked’ by Apple themselves to pique interest just hours before the first event of the year? I am a sceptic by nature, but I can’t help but wonder.

Enjoy the event, and be sure to get in touch and let me know what you enjoyed most. And, of even more interest, did you order anything?

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Originally published at https://www.talkingtechandaudio.com/blog on March8, 2022.

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