For Apple fans, 2021 has been a fascinating year, with a number of interesting new announcements and a few notable absences. However, according to the latest prediction, 2022 will make up for these setbacks, with the biggest MacBook Air update ever and a new, more robust version of the Apple Watch, among other things.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims to have revealed all of Apple's 2022 product launch plans in the latest Power On newsletter, which has a substantial helping of leaks. The information should be treated lightly, although he has a track record of properly forecasting new Apple products.
Apple is expected to release five new Macs in 2022, according to Gurman, including an upgraded Mac mini, a new entry-level MacBook Pro, a high-end iMac with Apple silicon, a big MacBook Air overhaul with the "M2" chip, and a new Mac Pro with Apple silicon.
Among the many speculations surrounding Apple's iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Mac Pro updates, Gurman's suggestion of a new entry-level MacBook Pro stands out. He previously stated that a next-generation entry-level MacBook Pro would have the same M2 processor as the next-generation MacBook Air, with the same number of CPU cores as the M1 chip, up to 10 graphics cores, and increased performance, but this is the first mention of the machine in almost six months.
The introduction of Apple's latest high-end MacBook Pro models, which have larger displays, no Touch Bar, and more ports, has left the entry-level MacBook Pro in an odd position in the Mac lineup, leading to speculation that it might be discontinued and replaced with a high-end version of the MacBook Air, but Gurman's reaffirmation suggests that a new entry-level MacBook Pro is still on the way for 2022.
The new machine's specifications are unknown, but there are concerns over how the new entry-level MacBook Pro will bridge the gap between the new M2 MacBook Air and the existing high-end MacBook Pro, as well as if features like the Touch Bar will be retained.
Gurman's list of predictions for 2022 significantly omitted updates to the 24-inch iMac and high-end MacBook Pro. Despite the fact that these computers were updated this year, their absence from Gurman's list lends credence to the assumption that Apple does not intend to update its Apple silicon Macs on an annual basis.
Aside from the Mac, Gurman anticipates an iPhone SE with 5G, updated AirPods Pro earbuds, and the release of Apple's first mixed augmented and virtual reality headset in 2022.
