Last-minute March Apple event leak reveals a wild card launch
We are two days away from Apple's Peek performance event and if you are wondering what the event will bring, Bloomberg's esteemed journalist Mark Gurman has the lowdown on what to expect.
New iPhone SE 3 and iPad Air 5
The company will likely introduce the first iPhone SE with 5G and the third-generation model is expected to keep the same dated design as the 2020 model but may offer the A15 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 13 series as well as improved cameras.
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently revealed that storage and color options will remain the same, meaning you can expect 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB variants, and white, black, and red hues.
A couple of reports say that the price may start at $300, which would make the phone cheaper than the iPhone SE 2 which costs $399. A leaked image indicates that the phone will go on sale on March 10. Hopes are really high for the budget phone and analysts believe it will be good enough to sway many Android loyalists.
Next up, there is apparently a new iPad Air that will succeed 2020's 4th-generation iPad Air and will likely also stick to the same design but add the faster A15 chip and 5G connectivity. The slate may also get a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera as well as the Center Stage feature that tries to keep the subject within view during video calls.
New Macs and possibly a new monitor
After that, we got at least one new Mac with an in-house chip. This year, Apple is rumored to introduce a new Mac mini, 13-inch MacBook Pros, and iMacs.
Gurman adds that a fourth "wild card" unveiling is also likely and this could either be a new monitor, an iMac Pro, or a smaller Mac Pro. Apple is also said to working on a new M2 chip that allegedly has an eight-core CPU and 10 GPU cores.
The new Mac minis will seemingly be available in M2 and M1 Pro variants, the iMac Pros will be powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max, depending on the model, and the MacBookPro will have the M2 under the hood.
If you are wondering why Apple is calling the event "Peek" performance, and not "Peak" performance, well Gurman says it likely has nothing to do with the AR/VR headset as it's 'nowhere near ready to be shown.' This rumor was set off by the augmented reality experience included in the invitation but the actual reality is that Apple has added an AR Easter egg in every online event invite since September 2020, so this is nothing new and not indicative of anything.
Peek performance. March 8th. See you there. #AppleEventpic.twitter.com/cEKMq7BuBh
— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) March 2, 2022
Instead, the event will be a peek at the new Macs with the aforementioned chips or perhaps the next-generation external display which is ready to go.
The event will be held on March 8 and will be the first of many to come this year.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: