Apple has wrapped up its Peek Performance event, which saw the introduction of the upgraded iPhone SE, a more powerful iPad Air, a new Mac Studio and more. And while that's a lot of products, there were plenty of rumored releases that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another.
Perhaps they'll see the light of day at a different time. Or maybe the rumors were completely off base. But if nothing else, looking back at the things Apple didn't announce can give us an early start on what might debut the next time the company holds a product launch.
What did appear at the Peak Performance event
First of all, let’s go over what Apple did show off. As we covered in our Apple event recap page, the Peak Performance event introduced a handful of exciting updates and some new products as well.
Apple unveiled its new budget-friendly iPhone SE, which now offers 5G connectivity and sports the same A15 Bionic chip seen in the iPhone 13 lineup. As for those phones, Apple introduced a new green color option for both the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 13 Pro models.
The event also unveiled the new iPad Air, which is now powered by the M1 chip, a sizable upgrade compared to its predecessor. Apple also surprised us with the reveal of the Mac Studio and the Studio Display, with the former being an entirely new computing device that is essentially a marriage of the Mac mini and the Mac Pro, packing the M1 Max and the newly announced M1 Ultra chip. Meanwhile, the Studio Display is a 27-inch 5K Retina monitor that packs an A13 Bionic chip.
All of the aforementioned reveals were announced in Apple’s signature fashion — with epic cinematography and dramatic animated sequences.
What we didn't see at Peek Performance
As exciting as today was, we still didn’t see quite a few devices that were previously rumored to appear during Apple’s Spring event. Of course, the March 8 event could be the first of many, since we’re anticipating that Cupertino may have more to say n the build-up to this June's Worldwide Developer Conference as well as Apple's annual fall event.
In that vein, we’ve put together a list of all of the potential products that haven’t been announced yet, but could make an appearance later on in the year.
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Earlier this year, reputable Apple tipster Mark Gurman claimed Cupertino planned to unveil the second generation of its premium earbuds, the AirPods Pro. However, the March 8 event didn’t include any audio-specific products, despite previous rumors suggesting otherwise.
Since the AirPods Pro 2 were a no-show at Apple’s Peek Performance event, it’s possible that a reveal could be on the cards later this year. This means that the rumored AirPods Pro 2 could arrive alongside the iPhone 14 lineup this fall.
According to the latest leaks and rumors, the refreshed AirPods Pro could sport a more compact design. Some of the more outrageous rumors even suggest that Apple could opt for a stemless design similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. But we’re taking that with a pinch of salt.
MacBook Air 2022
Apple excluded MacBooks entirely from its latest event, perhaps waiting until the Apple M2 chip is ready for release. The MacBook Air 2022 could be among the first laptops to launch with the next-generation version of Apple’s silicon.
The latest MacBook Air rumors point toward a redesign featuring thinner display bezels in addition to new colors. Whether the entry-level MacBook will get a notch and MagSafe charging like the MacBook Pro 2021 remains to be seen.
MacBook Pro 2022
The rumored refresh of the 13-inch and more affordable MacBook Pro is widely expected to be one of Apple’s biggest announcements this year. And considering the success of the current MacBook Pro M1, we have high expectations.
Though we don’t anticipate to see a refreshed exterior, we do expect the new MacBook Pro to feature some substantial improvements to its internals. Just how powerful the new laptop will be remains to be seen, especially since some of the more recent news on the topic seems to suggest that Apple is still in process of testing its M2 chips that are expected to accompany the rumored laptop.
It’s possible that Apple may reserve any laptop-related announcements for its annual developers conference, which usually happens in June.
iPad Pro 2022
Despite being obviously absent from today’s announcements, we’re still holding out for an updated version of the iPad Pro. After all, Apple has released a new iteration of its premium tablet every year since 2019, so it’s likely that we’re due for another one sometime this year.
Not much is known about the new iPad Pro at this point, including if and when it could arrive. The latest rumors suggest that the refreshed tablet could potentially include even thinner bezels and the unwelcome inclusion of a notch similar to that of the iPhone 13. The good news is that the new iPad Pro models could also come with glass backs that enable wireless charging. It sounds like the 11-inch iPad Pro won't get a mini-LED display, though, as had been previously rumored.
As is the case with other products on this list, it’s unclear as to when we could finally get to hold the new iPad Pro in our hands. Considering that Apple’s Peek Performance event is done and dusted, we’re hoping it arrives sometime this fall.
Apple VR/AR headset
The Apple VR/AR headset is a rumor that’s not going away anytime soon. And considering that Cupertino is yet to officially acknowledge the product’s existence, I expect we’re still a long time away from seeing it hit the shelves.
Last year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that Apple’s own mixed reality headset could arrive sometime in 2022. However, he later reported that the expected release date had been pushed all the way back to 2023.
Tim Cook himself has previously stated how important mixed reality will be to the Apple brand. And considering the intense competition it’ll face from existing products such as the HTC Vive, the Oculus Quest 2 and the PSVR 2, Apple needs to bring its A-game from the very beginning. Personally, we’d rather that Apple takes its time instead of rushing into things.
Apple Watch 8
While this event packed plenty of iPhone, iPad and Mac news, there was no mention of the Apple Watch. Not that we expected any announcements related to the Apple Watch 8, but a new Apple Watch SE 2 to complement the latest iPhone SE wasn’t out of the question.
Most likely we won’t hear anything Apple Watch-related until summer (or whenever Apple hosts WWDC) when we should learn about watchOS 9. The next Apple Watch could then arrive alongside the iPhone 14 in the fall.
For the time being, the Apple Watch 7 is the company’s flagship wearable. See the best Apple Watch deals right now if you’re interested in procuring one of Apple’s smartwatches.
