The news: Apple just updated the iPad Air at their March 8 event.
The news: Apple just dropped a new low-end iPhone SE at their March 8 event.
The news: Apple just dropped 2 new colorways for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.
The rumor: Apple will unveil an all-new Mac and monitor at their March 8 event, according to Mark Gurman (85.5% accurate).
Sam’s take: And there you have it: corroboration of our exclusives from earlier in the day from the best Apple reporter in the game. We’ll see you at 10am PST tomorrow.
The rumor: Apple is planning to put the popular M1 processor in the next iPad Air, according to 9to5Mac (82.4% accurate).
Sam’s take: I wouldn’t believe this…but Apple has put Mac chips in iPads before. So, sure, if the iPad Air is getting M1, then I guess the new iPad Pro will get a M2 chip?
The exclusive: Following the first reports of an all-new desktop and monitor from Apple, AppleTrack is now sharing a first look at the upcoming devices.
Luke Miani’s take: This exclusive reporting corroborates prior reports and adds more concrete information about the design. This new look carries on the Mac mini philosophy of minimalism, without eccentric milled aluminum holes like Mac Pro. Expect Mac Studio to feature a wide array of IO, with more USB-C ports than on the current M1 Mac mini. Based on the information we received, we are expecting the new Mac and display to launch at tomorrow’s “Peek Performance” Event.
The exclusive: Apple is preparing to launch new color options for iPad Air and iPhone 13, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with Luke Miani.
Luke Miani’s take: This exclusive reporting covers some of the updates we can expect to see tomorrow, and I’m very confident in its accuracy. We can add this information to what others have heard about the refreshed iPad Air already: A15 chip, 5G support and Center Stage are also expected. As for the iPhone 13, don’t expect any updates beside color: this is basically what happened at last year’s Spring Loaded event, when Apple added a new Purple iPhone 12 with no other changes.
The rumor: Apple will be releasing their second gallium nitride (GaN) charger in 2022, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (70.4% accurate).
Sam’s take: Charger news isn’t generally too exciting. But Apple’s current selection of power adapters is severely outdated compared to what third parties like Spigen are doing with their chargers (full disclosure: I work with Spigen regularly and love their stuff). GaN is simply better across the board and I look forward to Apple selling some more first party stuff with it soon.
The rumor: Apple will be updating their lower-end Mac desktops in 2022 and higher-end Mac offerings in 2023, according to Ming-Chi Kuo (70.4% accurate).
Sam’s take: There’s not much detail about why these Macs may be launching so far apart…and it event contradicts with Apple’s own timeline of the transition to Apple Silicon being complete by the end of 2022. But Kuo also tends to know things very far in the future, and the first half of his tweet lines up with what other sources have been saying.
The rumor: A new display from Apple could be dropping sooner rather than later, according to Mark Gurman (85.5% accurate, via Power On).
The details on Apple’s new monitor…
Sam’s take: It certainly sounds like Gurman thinks there’s a good chance that this monitor could be shown at Apple’s March 8 event. And if he feels that way…then I do, too. This is incredibly exciting.
The rumor: Apple is extensively testing the M2 chip across multiple new Macs and operating systems, according to Mark Gurman (85.5% accurate, via Power On).
Sam’s take: I’m not entirely convinced that we’ll see M2 at this event…especially in the body of the outdated MacBook Pro. Is it possible? Sure. But “Peek Performance” points to something higher-end: and M2, a slightly improved version of M1, isn’t that.
