At Apple’s Peek Performance event, we saw a lot of new products. There was the new iPad Air, a new green color for the iPhone 13, and an updated iPhone SE. In terms of Macs, Apple announced the Mac Studio and Studio Display, and took the world by surprise with the new M1 Ultra chip.
But there were still some products that we were looking out for that didn’t actually make the big virtual stage. Here’s a look at what Apple didn’t announce.
Redesigned MacBook Air
In the days prior to this event, there were plenty of rumors suggesting that Apple could ambitiously offer a more refined MacBook Air design, eliminating the tapered look in favor of a uniform MacBook Pro- and iMac-like form factor for 2022. There also was the chance that the MacBook Air could have a new M2 Processor inside.
None of this ended up happening. Instead, Apple focused the Mac side of the March 8 event on studio creators, launching the Mac Studio with the new M1 Ultra processor. Still, the year is young and a redesigned Air could still debut later in 2022.
Mac Pro and iMac Pro
Before the event, there were different rumors about additions to the Mac lineup. This included a new Mac Pro in a radically smaller form factor than the current Intel-based cheese grater-style tower, and an updated iMac Pro.
Apple did launch an all-new product, the Mac Studio. It also promised that the Mac Pro “is for another day” and hinted “there’s only one more product to go” when it comes to “making the transition to M1 silicon nearly complete.”
And what about Apple’s Pro-grade iMac? We thought it could get a larger display than what’s currently available on the M1-powered 24-inch iMac model, stronger CPU and GPU performance, and more muted colors to appeal to creatives and working professionals.
Non of that happened either. Apple did launch the all-new Mac Studio Display. This is an external display for Mac devices, including the new M1 Studio.
Apple Glasses or VR headset
It is no secret that Apple is supposedly working on two distinct devices in the world of mixed reality. The first is a virtual reality headset, and this is the device that is rumored to launch first. The second is a pair of AR glasses, lovingly dubbed Apple Glasses by fans. Neither were talked about at the March 8 event. That is despite early speculation that “peek” performance could be a reference to virtual reality.
AirPods Pro 2
Having debuted in October 2019, the AirPods Pro is ripe for an update, but we didn’t see the successor to the Pro-grade earbuds on March 8. The hype over Apple’s Gen 2 version of the Pro earbuds will have to live on. The last update that happened to the AirPods Pro occurred in late 2021 when Apple announced a slightly tweaked charging case that works with MagSafe wireless charging.
New iPhone and Apple Watch
Apple’s mobile refresh typically happens in the fall, and given that it’s been only about six months since the Apple Watch Series 7 and the iPhone 13 debuted, it wasn’t surprising to see no mainline new iPhone model at this event. It will be another six months, approximately, until the next versions of these products launch. When the iPhone 14 and the Apple Watch Series 8 debut, we’ll have you covered here at Digital Trends with all the news.
