Why You Should Not Expect Spectacular New Products From Apple As It Readies For The First Major Event Of 2022

This year’s first major Apple Inc AAPL event will dish out “appetizers,” with the tech giant reserving major software and hardware announcements for later on, according to Mark Gurman, a leading technology-focused journalist.

What Happened: Gurman said in the latest version of his newsletter that this year’s first Apple launches would comprise a “range of minor updates or complementary products.”

“It’s a shoo-in that you’ll see a new iPhone SE, which will probably have a similar design to the current model but a faster processor and 5G support,” wrote Gurman.

Other possible stars of the show include the iPad Air, which hasn’t been updated since the end of 2020. A new version of that tablet computer is also possible, according to Gurman.

“Look for that device to get the A15 chip from the iPhone 13, matching the iPad mini from last year.”

For the iPad Pro, Gurman expects an updated design with the M2 chip and wireless charging. He expects the new iPad to come later than spring.

A higher-end Mac Mini or iMac sporting the M1 pro chip could be on the menu, but the revamped MacBook Air and Mac Pro aren’t coming until later this year, as per the analyst. 

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Why It Matters: Apple spaces out new product releases each year for two reasons, according to Gurman.

One reason is that the company needs to prepare the software groundwork before hardware is ready to launch and the other reason is that by saving major devices like the iPhone, Apple Watches, and Macs for later in the year it sets itself up for a “strong holiday quarter.”

But there may be a wrinkle in the analysis, as per Gurman. He pointed out Russian regulatory filings, which feature three new iPhone models and nine new iPads.

The iPhone documents are probably related to the various avatars of the iPhone SE but nine new models “would be far too many for a new iPad Air,” according to Gurman.

“Either there’s more than just the Air on tap, or Apple filed its launches for this fall fairly early. We’ll see.”

Apple’s rumored mixed-reality headset though may not debut until the end of 2022 or later, according to Gurman. The product could reportedly reach store shelves by 2023.

Price Action: On Friday, Apple shares closed 1.3% lower at $162.41 in the regular session and fell 0.5% in the after-hours trading.

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