by The iPhone 14 and Apple Watch 8 launches have come and gone, but Apple probably isn’t done with hardware in 2022 yet: rumor has it that we have quite a few more new products to look forward to before the year is out.
Although we had an Apple event last October, this time it is unclear whether Apple will host an actual event. Instead, it is suggested that it will be content with a series of press releases and online announcements.
However they handle the reveal, we have a pretty good idea of what’s on the menu thanks to multiple rumors and leaks over the past few months.
So read on to find out about the Apple products we think will be coming this month and what we know about them so far.
New iPads
Apple’s current entry-level tablet, the iPad 10.2 (2021), was released in September of last year, so it’s now a new one — and the iPad (2022) is expected this month.
The 2022 iPad has been rumored to finally ditch the series’ outdated design, which still features a home button and thicker bezels, to bring the cheapest iPad in line with Apple’s other models. 5G support may also be added for the first time and it could also get a faster processor.
We also expect to see new iPad Pro 2022 models appear. The existing iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) and iPad Pro 11 (2021) debuted in April of last year, so there’s even more to it than the entry-level iPad.
The good news is that the new models look to be worth the wait. One of the rumors says that the iPad Pro 2022 will come with MagSafe and many leaks suggest that it will get an upgrade to Apple’s M2 chipset.
Additionally, rumors suggest that Apple may actually be able to lower the starting price of the iPad Pro 2022, which would of course be very welcome. There have been suggestions that the iPad Pro could switch to OLED displays, but it seems more likely that this will be a development for 2023 rather than this year.
A new Apple TV 4K
We last got a new Apple TV 4K in April 2021, when it was revealed alongside the new iPad Pros, and these two product lines look set to be updated together again in October 2022. While streaming TV boxes don’t necessarily need a refresh and every year, the word is that Apple will indeed release an Apple TV 4K (2022) very soon.
It might not actually be called that, though. There are indications in the latest tvOS software that the new Apple TV could support 8K video, so Apple will have to rebrand the device to match. While there isn’t a huge amount of 8K content out there right now, that’s definitely the direction we’re headed.
Elsewhere, reliable sources have said that the 2022 Apple TV 4K will come with a faster processor and more memory, which will make it even more capable of streaming and gaming.
We’ll have to wait and see what these rumored upgrades do to the price, though – the current model retails for $179 / £169 / AU$249, and while we’ve argued for a new, cheaper Apple TV model, there’s no sign we will get one soon.
New Macs and MacBook Pros
Of course, there are always new Macs and MacBooks in the works at Apple, but based on past launch patterns, we think quite a few models will likely be updated this month. Apple has already said that a new 2022 Mac Pro is in the works, built with Apple silicon, and that’s no shock considering the current Mac Pro has been around since 2019.
We’re also looking at perhaps a new Mac mini 2022: the existing Mac mini 2020 was one of the devices that ushered in the M1 era, and an upgraded version based on the M2 chip seems likely. From what we’ve heard, the Mac mini 2022 will stick with the existing design, though.
Other Apple computers due for an update are the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021) and the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021). Again, these laptops look poised to upgrade to the M2 chip, though as with this year’s 13-inch MacBook Pro (2022), we may not see many other changes: the MacBook Pros just underwent a major redesign, so I expect Apple will be stuck with it for a while longer.
A new HomePod
And what about a new HomePod? The HomePod was officially discontinued in March 2021, but the smart speaker market continues to do business quickly, and there have been rumors that an Apple HomePod 2 is on the way.
The original Apple HomePod was one of the best wireless speakers around, so Apple’s decision to focus on the smaller (and cheaper) Apple HomePod mini came as something of a surprise. The suggestion that a new version could be on the way is therefore welcome, and we’re also excited by rumors that it will come with a display, in a development that matches what Amazon and Google have done with their the smart speaker lines.
Of course, the HomePod mini is also due for a refresh – it’s almost two years old now – and there have been leaks suggesting that we might be getting a refreshed version of that product as well. If a new model appears, expect some upgrades in terms of sound quality and supported features.
It’s possible that we won’t see all of these devices appear on the same day at the same time, especially if Apple doesn’t throw in a special event, but all of these products are now hinting that they will appear in October 2022. Once something is official, of course We’ll let you know.
