The rumor: Apple once planned a HomePod that wasn’t restricted to the home, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
“Years ago, Apple internally discussed and prototyped a battery-powered smart speaker, but I would be surprised if one ever launches under the Apple brand” Gurman says
Our take: Why Apple canceled this is beyond me. There are very few great Bluetooth speakers and I think Apple’s audio team could nail it. In the meantime, I’d recommend the Roam from Sonos.
The rumor: Apple’s first major product introduction since Apple Watch was set to take place at WWDC in June, but that might not happen anymore, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate), Takashi Mochizuki and Debby Wu.
Apple is thinking about pushing the launch of the high-end AR/VR headset back “by at least a few months” due to “development challenges related to overheating, cameras and software”
The announcement may now take place closer to the end of the year, with the first units shipping in 2023
2 chips will power the headset and one is said to be as powerful as the M1 Pro processor in the latest MacBook Pros, adding to heating challenges
The cameras are said to have “also faced development challenges” but no other details are provided
Our take: It sounds like even years into development, Apple is still putting the polishing touches on this first-generation headset. I think a guarantee here is that it will be announced many months before it actually ships. Most interesting to me is how the heat issues were predicted in development…Apple’s initial approach was to put the processors in an external device that would transmit data wirelessly to the headset. But Jony Ive believed that was a poor experience so they integrated the chips directly in the headset. That sounds like the right call to me, even if it means waiting a bit longer for this one more thing.
The rumor: Apple’s entry into the virtual reality headset market will be a stark departure from their competition, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
“I’ve been told pretty directly that the idea of a completely virtual world where users can escape to — like they can in Meta Platforms/Facebook’s vision of the future — is off limits from Apple. Executives today at the highest levels of the company, and in the past like Jony Ive, have pushed for the virtual reality headset to not be an all-day device, and instead one that can be used for bursts of gaming, communication and content consumption” Gurman says
Apple’s AR/VR headset is rumored to launch later in 2022 and will be Apple’s first major product introduction since Apple Watch in 2015
Our take: I’ve been wondering what Apple’s initial goal of this headset was going to be, and know we know: the opposite of what Meta wants. And I think this is absolutely the right call for this first-generation product. Sure, we all might want to leave our regular lives and exist in the virtual world one day…but we’re nowhere near there now. So Apple targeting things like talking to each other, playing games and watching videos…that’s smart considering that most folks have never touched true virtual reality yet (myself included). Also, I’d like to note that this rumored approach just feels more human.
The rumor: Apple is planning to hold their first virtual event of the year in the Spring, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
“Apple’s first virtual event of 2022 is coming up in just a few short months and is likely to take place in either March or April, I’m told” Gurman says
Our take: And just like that, the first event rumor of the year is out from the best source for Apple rumors. While the new iPhone SE will just be a spec-bump, the new MacBook Air and 27-inch iMac should be much more exciting.
The rumor: The follow-up to Apple’s game-changing M1 chip will be a minor upgrade, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
“From what I’m hearing, the M2 will be a marginally faster version of the M1 chip from late 2020. I’d expect the same overall CPU core count—4 high-performance cores and 4 energy-efficient cores—but a bit of a stronger GPU. That likely means 9 or 10 GPU cores, an upgrade from the current 7 or 8 graphics core options on the M1” Gurman says
Our take: This is the first we’ve heard of actual specs for the M2: an 8-core CPU and 9/10-core GPU. Definitely smaller improvements than I would’ve expected, but keep in mind that this chip will be powering Apple’s most affordable Macs, not the higher-end pro line of computers.
The rumor: Apple is making a new monitor that still won’t be affordable for most, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
Gurman reports that Apple is working on a new external display that is “destined to be about half the price of the Pro Display XDR,” Apple’s flagship monitor that currently retails for $4,999…plus an additional $999 for the stand
Our take: I’m smiling and chuckling while writing this because two racks is still way out of the price range for most folks. Still, I’m intrigued because anything cheaper than the current Pro Display XDR is at least some improvement. What we don’t know about this upcoming display are the details like sizing, resolution and features. Will this be a 24, 27 or 32-inch display? Will it be 4K or 6K? And most importantly, will it look good?
The rumor: Apple will complete their transition to Apple Silicon within the next six months, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
“I’d expect Apple to finish its transition to its own silicon from Intel chips as early as June at WWDC 2022. That includes a smaller Mac Pro with up to 40 CPU cores and 128 graphics cores, a new Mac mini and a large-screened iMac Pro” Gurman says
Apple promised in June 2020 that they would complete their transition away from Intel within two years, and this rumor from Gurman suggests that Apple is still on schedule
Update 1/2/21 2:50pm:Gurman has clarified on Twitter that he believes the Mac Pro will be announced at WWDC, but not released until later on
Our take: If we thought 2021 was the year of the Mac…I think we were wrong. Apple has some stellar, higher-end releases planned for later this year that I believe will show us the finalized vision for Apple Silicon: a line of chips that will make the rest of the industry sweat. The CPU power has been quite impressive already, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that Apple has some wild GPUs up their sleeve.
Our take: While it sounds like the new $329 iPad and iPad Air updates will be more minor, the biggest iPad Pro update since the flat-edge redesign in 2018 is set to take place next year. This all-glass design sounds stunning, and I can’t believe we will finally be getting wireless charging after all this time.
Apple Watch Explorer Edition: “ruggedized version aimed at extreme sports athletes”
Our take: The most interesting of these variants is, of course, the new Apple Watch Explorer Edition, a rugged version of the Apple Watch that is significantly more durable. Still skeptical? Display analyst Ross Young (100% accurate) has also predicted 3 new watch models next year…
The rumor: New versions of the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, 27-inch iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro are coming in 2022, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
This is what’s expected…
“Revamped, high-end iMac with Apple silicon to sit above the new 24-inch model”
“Biggest MacBook Air revamp in the product’s history, adding the M2 chip and a new design”
“New versions of the Mac mini, entry-level MacBook Pro and a revamped Mac Pro with Apple silicon”
Our take: Next year Apple has said they will complete their 2-year transition from Intel to Apple Silicon so this tracks. Looking like 2022 will, potentially, be the biggest year for the Mac ever. And I want all of it.
The rumor: Apple is planning to focus on “gaming, media consumption and communication” for the first version of their AR/VR headset that is set to launch next year, according to Mark Gurman (87% accurate, via Power On).
“Look for Animojis and a VR FaceTime-like experience to be the new-age Zoom” Gurman says
Gaming will be powered by more than one processor, a fan and ultra-high-resolution displays (rumors point to dual 4K screens)
Our take: Animojis and VR FaceTime are the first we’ve heard of what consumer-level features will be packed into this device…but these honestly sound like gimmicks. I’m much more interested in the hardware capabilities of this headset, and most importantly, if Apple can make a AR/VR experience that is just good. Everything I’ve tried so far is uncomfortable or painful to use after just short periods of time.
