Apple this week officially held its highly-anticipated “Unleashed” event to unveil new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The event marked Apple’s second in as many months, but according to a new report, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any more major product announcements from Apple this year…
Last year, Apple held three separate fall events: one in September focused on the Apple Watch and iPad, one in October focused on iPhone 12 and HomePod, and one in October to kick off the transition to Apple Silicon with a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that he “wouldn’t expect” a third event from Apple this year, nor should we expect “any major other major announcements.” While some reports had suggested that Apple would announce a new Mac mini at the October event, Gurman says that this will be saved for 2022 alongside a new larger Apple Silicon iMac, new iPhone SE, and new iPad Pro:
Gurman also reiterates that we should expect an “M2” MacBook Air roughly six to eight months from now with its “biggest redesign since 2010.” Bloomberg had previously reported that the new MacBook Air will feature an increased number of graphics cores paired with the same number (but faster) computing cores than the M1.
I wouldn’t expect a third event this year or any other major announcements. Apple held three events last year because Covid-19 caused delays and disrupted its schedule. If Apple had any more Macs to launch this year, it would have announced them this past week—even if they wouldn’t be shipping until later this year. There’s really nothing else left of substance in the road map that would be ready for 2021. Instead, look for a larger Apple Silicon iMac, new Mac mini, new iPhone SE and new iPad Pro after 2022 gets underway.
As for the 2022 iPad Pro, Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Apple is developing a redesigned model with a glass back and wireless charging. Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said that Apple plans to bring mini-LED display technology to the 11-inch iPad Pro in 2022 as well.
