Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) scheduled spring event on March 8, 2022, is rumored to be about internal upgrades and tweaks to the iPhone SE, the iPad Air, and the Macbook Pro.
iPhone SE 3 and iPad Air 5
The iPhone SE, which was launched in 2016, received an upgrade in April 2020 and is one of the most popular budget Apple smartphones. The March 2022 version may now be fitted with the A15 Bionic processor currently used in iPhone 13. The new version may also have a better camera and 5G capabilities, allowing faster browsing and larger downloads. Faster processing and browsing is good news not just for users but for carriers as well. On the flip side, the new SE 3 is rumored to continue to feature the dated home button and large bezels.
A new version of the iPad Air is also supposed to be in the works and will also have 5G and a faster processor. Both the iPhone SE 3 and the iPad Air 5 may have upgraded cameras of 12 megapixels.
M2 Chip
The Macbook Pro, whose most recent upgraded version came in October 2021, may carry the much awaited Apple M2 processor for the first time, improving the new Pro’s performance. But whether the launch will be in March remains to be seen. The March event could unveil the M2 in Macbook Air instead, with the Macbook Pro getting fitted out with the upgraded chip later in the year.
Apple’s proprietary silicon technology has been contributing to revenue growth since 2020, when the company moved away from using Intel Corporation’s (INTC) chips. The M1, M1 Mac, and M1 Pro showed superior capabilities in intensive tasks such as video editing several high-resolution videos while facilitating an impressive battery life. Two years after Apple’s first proprietary chip, the competition between Intel—whose Alder Lake mobile chip is its most powerful chip to date—and the M2 for faster and more powerful processors is still on and will be a closely watched one this year.
No Expensive Upgrades Yet
No expensive design upgrades are expected at this month’s event, and both the iPhone SE 3 and the Macbook Pro are expected to carry a lower price tag than current models. Storage upgrades on the iPhone SE 3 and iPad Air 5 to 256GB and a transition to the thinner OLED from LED screens on the Air may not appear for the cost purposes. However, the SE may receive a memory upgrade with 3GB RAM.
Software upgrades may come as early as mid-March with iOS 15.4, which will allow Face ID to work even when people have masks on. Universal Control, which will allow a single trackpad and keyboard for multiple Macs and iPads, may also be packed into the next upgrade.
WWDC and 2H 2022
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that is usually held in June will reveal more launches. However, in recent years, those launches have been primarily software. The 2022 WWDC is expected to reveal iOS16 and iPadOS16 as well as the VR/AR headset. Launching the headset in June will give developers a heads-up to develop apps for the device while Apple starts the integration of the augmented reality (AR) experience into its OS. A no-notch display and crash collision detection for the iPhone 14 are also anticipated in June.
After a record-breaking holiday quarter, with $123.9 billion in revenue and $2.10 diluted earnings per share quelling investors’ fears that the pandemic-induced supply chain issues may hamper Apple’s product launch plans, Apple seems poised for a series of new launches in 2022, some of which have been much anticipated.
Speculation about Apple’s AR glasses project may continue for the near term. Updates to wearables including the Airpods Pro 2 may feature workout tracking, while upgrades to Apple Watch may not appear as early as March.
