The fence is tightening. It’s March 14th, and if Apple is really planning to host an online event for March 23rd, we should get confirmation next week. If we don’t receive anything, there is still the (not exactly low) probability that Apple will simply launch news without an event but with press releases.
So let’s get into a few days when the rumors will be very concrete. We’ve already seen detailed photos and leaks, so we can estimate a list of what to expect:
- At the very least we would see the arrival of a new ipad pro which would debut with a mini-LED display and a chip whose power would far exceed the A12Z chips of its predecessors. We can also see a new standard iPad model renewed with the design of the old iPad Air, and less likely a hypothetical new iPad mini.
- Everything indicates that we will also see new ones 3rd generation AirPods, which would adopt some (only part) of the form and function of the current AirPods Pro, and when it comes to the AirPods Pro 2, it is unlikely but not impossible that we will see them.
- We have been waiting for months for a new apple tv and this March event can be a good opportunity to see it. We are talking about a new controller, and even a possible reorientation towards a game console with a chip capable of supporting demanding graphics.
- The AirTags They may also finally appear in this event after months and months of rumors with supposed delays due to the pandemic.
- No new Macs are expected at this event, But there are rumors that the new redesigned iMac could appear. Personally, I would take them with a grain of salt, as many other sources don’t expect them until fall.
- What we would see is the launch (or release date announcement) of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3, tvOS 14.5, and watchOS 7.4. With them would come all the news needed to work with the new accessories and material presented.
The rest of the new stuff, like the iPhone 13 or the new Macs that would follow the transition to Apple Silicon, would arrive throughout the summer and fall.
HomePods set off on a new path
Just yesterday we saw with surprise how Apple confirmed this stopped selling HomePods. Similar to the way it happened with the iMac Pro, Apple will continue to sell the speaker while supplies last and then die off.
Thus, in a few days, the HomePod range will consist of only the HomePod mini. And of course … why call yourself a mini when it’s the only HomePod sold? It is clear that Apple will release some sort of successor to the original HomePod sooner or later.
It may be a larger version of the HomePod mini called “ HomePod Max ”, although Apple should find a way to sell it to a more affordable price. The original HomePod stopped selling precisely because its price failed to convince in a market where alternatives are much cheaper. When can this happen? No one knows, because at the moment there are no rumors about it.
