Apple had a remarkably busy 2021, announcing its latest round of new Macs
amid the Apple Silicon transitioning, the new iPhone 13, long-awaited AirTag
item tracker, and much more. Looking ahead to 2022, there are even more new
devices on the way across all of Apple's major product categories - and even
the potential for an all-new product category.
MacBook Air
One of the most hotly-anticipated new products on the way from Apple is a
completely revamped MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air is rumored to feature a
flat-edged design, ditching the iconic tapering design that is slimmer at
the front and gets thicker towards the back.
Reliable Apple analyst
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/10/new-macbook-air-colors-new-design-kuo-report
/> Ming-Chi Kuo has also reported that the 2022 MacBook Air will come in
additional colors, similar to the colors of the 24-inch iMac. Also similar
to the iMac, the new MacBook Air will reportedly feature white bezels and a
white keyboard. There are also rumors that the MacBook Air could feature a
notch similar to the new MacBook Pro, but it's unclear if this will actually
come to fruition.
Finally in terms of processor power, the new MacBook Air will reportedly be
the first Mac powered by the next-generation M2 chip.
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/18/bloomberg-apple-prepares-revamped-macbook-ai
r-with-m1-successor/> Bloomberg has reported that the M2 processor will have
the same number of computing cores as the M1 but run faster.
The new MacBook Air (or potentially just "MacBook") is reportedly slated for
a release sometime in mid-2022. It will
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/21/2022-macbook-air-rumors-new-design-and-color
s-white-bezels-mini-led-slightly-more-expensive/> reportedly be "slightly"
more expensive than the current MacBook Air, which
<https://amzn.to/3oUiAuO> starts at $999.
Mac mini and Mac Pro
Unsurprisingly, the Apple Silicon transition will also continue into 2022 -
and could be the year that the transition is completed. According to
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/18/40-core-mac-pro-high-end-mac-mini-in-develop
ment/> Bloomberg, Apple is planning a new Mac Pro powered by Apple Silicon.
This machine could be around half the size of the current Mac Pro in terms
of design.
The new Mac Pro is rumored to come in 20 or 40 computing core
configurations, made up of 16 high-performance or 32 high-performance cores
and four or eight high-efficiency cores. GPU options would reportedly
include 64-core and 128-core options.
Meanwhile, Apple is also reportedly planning a new so-called "Mac mini Pro"
with a new-generation of industrial design.
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/25/m1x-mac-mini-reportedly-to-feature-thinner-c
hassis-redesign-use-same-magnetic-power-connector-as-new-imac/> Jon Prosser
has reported that the new Mac mini will feature a new external chassis with
a "plexiglass-like" reflective surface on the top, in an otherwise aluminum
enclosure.
New iMac
While Apple introduced the all-new 24-inch iMac in April of 2021, fans of
the larger 27-inch iMac are still waiting. In fact, the 27-inch iMac is one
of the few Intel-powered machines still available in Apple's Mac lineup
today.
As such, Apple is widely expected to debut a new 27-inch iMac powered by
Apple Silicon in 2022. The new iMac is likely to feature a high-end Apple
Silicon chip on the inside, while
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/12/13/report-apple-to-launch-27-inch-imac-pro-with
-miniled-display-in-spring-2022/> rumors also indicate miniLED display and
ProMotion technology will come to the iMac for the first time.
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/30/leaker-claims-imac-pro-with-m1-pro-m1-max-ch
ips-promotion-mini-led-display-and-more-slated-for-first-half-of-2022/>
Rumors have indicated that the iMac will feature a base model configuration
of 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, just like the new MacBook Pro.
Ports on the new iMac will reportedly include an HDMI port, an SD card slot,
and multiple USB-C/Thunderbolt connections.
iPad Pro
The iPad Pro got a notable update in 2021 with a transition to the M1 chip
for power as well as a mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch. Not long after the
2021 iPad Pro was announced, rumors started circulating about what to expect
from the next-generation model.
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/04/ipad-pro-redesign-glass-back-wireless-chargi
ng/> Bloomberg has reported that Apple is developing a redesigned iPad Pro
with a glass back. This change would allow for the iPad Pro to support
wireless charging for the first time, as well as reverse wireless charging.
Reverse wireless charging would allow you to place a wireless
charging-compatible device, such as an iPhone or AirPods, on the back of the
iPad Pro to recharge that device. The power would be shared from the iPad
Pro to the other device.
More recently, however,
<https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/14/apple-hits-roadblock-in-plans-to-redesign-ip
ad-pro-with-magsafe/> 9to5Mac learned that Apple has scaled back its plans
for an iPad Pro redesign. Instead of a completely glass back, the company is
planning a larger glass Apple logo that would support wireless charging.
Another change reportedly coming with the 2022 iPad Pro is an expansion of
mini-LED display technology to the 11-inch iPad Pro for the first time. This
is the display technology that first came to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2021.
As for a release date, Apple has gotten into a cadence of releasing new iPad
Pro models during the first half of the year, usually in the spring.
iPad Air 5
In addition to a new iPad Pro, Apple is also reportedly planning a new
fifth-generation iPad Air that could be released as soon as this spring. The
new iPad Air is said to feature an A15 Bionic chip on the inside, an
upgraded 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera (with Center Stage support),
and 5G connectivity.
iPhone SE 3
Moving on to the iPhone, the first new iPhone we expect from Apple in 2022
is a new third-generation iPhone SE. This iPhone SE 3 is expected to be
similar to the current iPhone SE, but with the addition of an A15 chip on
the side and 5G connectivity.
In fact,
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/12/13/apples-most-affordable-5g-iphone-could-turn-
a-billion-android-users-into-switchers/> one analyst even believes that the
iPhone SE 3 with 5G could turn a billion Android users into switchers.
While rumors have suggested that Apple is also working on some sort of
iPhone SE Plus with a larger display, this isn't expected in 2022. The
iPhone SE 3, however, is expected to come sometime during the first half of
the year with an A15 chip and 5G support. A more radical update to the
iPhone SE
<https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/17/report-iphone-se-5g-coming-this-year-followe
d-by-larger-model-in-2023/> could be on the table for 2023.
iPhone 14
And, of course, we can't forget the
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/12/03/iphone-14-features-roundup/> iPhone 14. The
iPhone 14 is rumored to be a major overhaul to the iPhone lineup, with
analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting that the lineup will consist of two 6.1-inch
models and two 6.7-inch models.
The 2022 iPhone lineup could look something like this in terms of marketing
names: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Kuo
says that the iPhone 14 Max will represent the lowest price ever for a large
6.7-inch iPhone, potentially at around $900.
Leaker Jon
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/08/iphone-14-leak-design-features-more/>
Prosser has also corroborated these changes, and indicated that the iPhone
14 will feature a design similar to the iPhone 4.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to feature a
new hole-punch design. If the punch-hole design sounds familiar, that's
because it's currently used on many high-end Android flagships. It makes
sense for Apple to adopt this design with the iPhone 14, with the
"punch-hole" housing the camera that's currently located in the notch.
The iPhone 14 will also include dramatic improvements to the front-facing
camera, according to Kuo. In terms of the rear camera,
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/14/kuo-iphone-14-pro-to-feature-significant-cam
era-upgrades-including-48-megapixel-sensor-and-8k-video-recording/> Kuo says
the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be upgraded to 48-megapixels,
an increase from the 12-megapixel sensor in iPhone 12.
The iPhone 14 lineup is expected to be announced and released sometime in
September of 2022.
Apple Watch Series 8
The Apple Watch lineup is also expected to be overhauled in 2022. Kuo has
reported that Apple will release three new Apple Watch models in the fall of
2022, including a new high-end Apple Watch Series 8, a new Apple Watch SE,
and the
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/26/bloomberg-apple-considering-new-apple-watch-
model-with-rugged-casing-aimed-at-athletes/> previously-rumored rugged
sports version.
In terms of health technologies, the Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to add
a
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/10/kuo-apple-watch-series-8-to-have-body-temper
ature-sensors-new-airpods-with-health-features/> body temperature sensor,
enabling additional health and fitness tracking.
Unfortunately, we're still waiting on more details about what to expect from
the Apple Watch Series 8 and other models coming in 2022.
AirPods Pro 2
Apple is also reportedly planning new second-generation AirPods Pro for
release in 2022. These AirPods Pro 2 are expected to feature a new focus on
health tracking and fitness technologies, as well as an all-new design.
Apple VP Kevin Lynch
<https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/16/apple-execs-apple-health-watch-watch-intervi
ew/> even mentioned the possibility of using AirPods to "father different
data" for health monitoring in an interview in June.
<https://9to5mac.com/2020/10/26/new-airpods-new-homepod-airpods-studio/>
Bloomberg has reported that the second-gen AirPods Pro will feature a "more
compact" design that removes the stem that current sticks out from the
bottom of the AirPods Pro. This could be similar to
<https://amzn.to/3oqoC53> the Amazon Echo buds, which feature a stem-less
design that is completely round and rests inside the user's ear.
These changes, however, are not guaranteed. Apple is said to have faced
challenges removing the AirPods Pro stem while also still including features
like transparency mode, the H1 chip, and noise cancellations. As such, Apple
might settle on a less ambitious redesign of the AirPods Pro.
AR/VR headset
Last but not least, 2022 will also reportedly be the year that Apple
releases the first iteration of its long-rumored AR/VR headset.maybe. Apple
is reportedly working on a high-end Apple Headset with a pair of 8K displays
and performance that is on par with the M1 Pro chip used in the newest
MacBook Pros.
Bloomberg <https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/14/apple-headset-overheating/>
recently reported, however, that Apple has faced some hardware and software
issues with the development of this headset. Particularly, the headset is
reportedly overheating issues as well as issues related to the cameras and
software.
These production bumps could ultimately derail Apple's plans to announce the
headset in 2022. The company had reportedly hoped to announce the product as
soon as WWDC in June, but now it's possible the announcement and release is
pushed to 2023.
Other possibilities
These are just the major new products we expect from Apple in 2022. There
are many other possibilities on the table, including iterative updates to
the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, new accessories, and much more.
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