Apple launch tonight: Here’s what the rumors suggest
It’s only been a few days since Apple first announced the launch in 2022, and the rumor mill has naturally managed to warm up ahead of Tuesday’s digital event, which begins at 19 NST.
You can follow the launch live on Apple’s official video stream:
This is what the rumors indicated:
This appears to be the safest card ahead of tonight’s launch. The SE was Apple’s “cheap iPhone”, often with a slightly older design, but the hardware usually didn’t lag far behind other models. The last update to the iPhone SE came in 2020, and rumors suggest, among other things, 5G support, a new, faster processor, and improved cameras.
Well-informed Mark Gorman of Bloomberg announced that the new SE will have a similar design to the old SE, which has a 4.7-inch screen and is thus the smallest phone Apple has to offer. Announced by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, he added that the phone will have 64GB of storage as standard and options for 128 and 256GB.
The last time we tested the iPhone SE, we called it a “gem in the price range” and thought it was a form of showing off the power of what can be achieved with an outdated catalog of products and updated devices.
The iPad Air is the iPad model that has practically fallen behind, thanks to Apple’s launch of the iPad mini with a more powerful processor in the form of Apple’s A15 Bionic last year. Apple is expected to do something today, with the updated iPad Air with 5G and the aforementioned A15 Bionic.
The “Center Stage” function that keeps you in the middle of the picture in video calls is likely also relevant to the new Air.
Away from the iPhone and iPad, the rumors are more at a stage perhaps, and one such rumor is that Apple may launch a new MacBook Air with a new M2 processor inside. Today’s MacBook Air with the M1 chip features very good performance and great battery life in a silent, compact and elegant package.
It is not yet known what the potential M2 chip could bring, but one might expect that Apple managed to achieve better performance and lower power consumption.
9to5Mac He points to anonymous sources claiming that Apple is working on an entirely new form factor on the Mac interface, potentially called Mac Studio. It’s said to be kind of a middle ground between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro, but 9to5Mac says it’s mainly based on the Mac mini. They say Apple has two versions of the computer in development, one based on the M1 Max chip found in the most powerful MacBook Pro from last year and a version with a more powerful, as-yet-unlicensed chip.
The site also cites previous reports from Bloomberg’s Gurman, where he stated that Apple was working on a smaller Mac Pro. They have tested that this is the aforementioned Mac Studio, but it remains to be seen if it will be launched tonight.
Gurman also wrote that “at least one new Mac” with an Apple chip inside will be launched today, as well as new versions of the Mac mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and iMac this year. Use of the launch slogan “Performance Peek” may also indicate that we are peeking at one or more upcoming products or product categories.
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman writes that his sources say that the unveiling of the fourth curtain may also be on the stairs today. It will likely be a new semi-professional monitor called the Apple Studio Display.
9to5Mac announced that the display will have a 7K resolution, which is more than today’s “better” Apple Display XDR, but others have also announced that it will be 27 inches and have 5K resolution. Of course, there may also be two different products.
According to several sources, the display will also have an Apple A13 chip inside, which could mean that it will run iOS or iPadOS software. It’s also likely to be much cheaper than the expensive Pro Display XDR, which costs around 60,000 kroner.
In addition to hardware, Apple is expected to release updates for many of its operating systems. iOS 15.4 has already been in beta for a while, and it allows Face ID to unlock the phone with your face even if you’re wearing a face mask.
In addition, an update is expected for Mac OS and iPadOS, which finally brings the universal control feature that Apple introduced about a year ago. Among other things, it will let you use your Mac’s touchpad directly on your iPad’s screen just by placing your iPad next to your Mac.
Naturally, we’ll catch up on tonight’s launch here on Tek.no – that is, from 7pm.
“Web specialist. Lifelong zombie maven. Coffee ninja. Hipster-friendly analyst.”
