MacRumors

The fifth-generation iPad Air will feature a range of significantly upgraded internals, according to an unverified but increasingly plausible report coming out of Asia.

According to a post from the account "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, the fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will feature the M1 chip. As a result, the ‌iPad Air‌ is also destined to be paired with 8GB of memory, the post claims.

The new ‌iPad Air‌ is also rumored to start with 128GB of storage, up from the 64GB base storage currently available with the fourth-generation ‌iPad Air‌. The fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will purportedly start at $599, the same starting price as the current model, despite offering double the amount of base storage.

The account previously said that Apple was planning to launch a new iPad mini model with an 8.7-inch display and a chassis that has an increased width and reduced height compared to the fifth-generation iPad mini in the second half of 2021. While the display size claim was inaccurate, with the sixth-generation ‌iPad mini‌ actually featuring an 8.3-inch display, the chassis rumor and launch timeframe proved to be correct.

Previous rumors about the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ have suggested that it will be very similar to the iPad mini, featuring the A15 Bionic chip and 5G connectivity. Adding the ‌‌M1‌‌ to the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ would make it very similar to the more expensive, top-of-the-line ‌iPad Pro‌, and if Apple does opt to do so, ProMotion display technology (with mini-LED in the 12.9-inch model) and the LiDAR camera would become the main differences between the ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ and the ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ lines.

The ‌‌M1‌‌ chip features a 8-core CPU and a 7 to 8-core GPU, and comparatively, the A15 chip has a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, so the ‌‌M1‌‌ does offer some performance improvements over the A-series chips.

Yesterday, 9to5Mac exclusively reported that the fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ will feature the ‌M1‌ chip, but it is not clear if that is independently-sourced information or simply derived from this Naver blog post.

The new ‌iPad Air‌ is expected to be announced at Apple's "Peek Performance" event, which will start at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time today, so we don't have long before we learn exactly what chip Apple is adding to the ‌iPad Air‌. We'll have coverage here at MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Ahead of Tuesday's "Peek Performance" Apple event, a last-minute rumor claims that the third-generation iPhone SE expected to be unveiled will feature MagSafe, Ceramic Shield, and "significantly" better battery life.

According to a machine-translated post from the account "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE will feature Apple's Ceramic Shield technology on the front cover glass. As Apple describes it, Ceramic Shield is a "dual‑ion exchange process" that introduces nano-ceramic crystals directly into the glass, offering improved resistance to drops. Ceramic Shield first appeared on the ‌iPhone‌ 12 in 2020.

Also, according to the post, the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE will feature ‌MagSafe‌, a feature that was previously not expected to make its way to Apple's most affordable ‌iPhone‌. ‌MagSafe‌ allows users to snap on different accessories, such as a wallet, and can be used to charge the device.

Regarding performance, the new ‌iPhone‌ SE will feature the A15 Bionic chip, according to most reports. Today's rumor adds further information to the specs of the device, stating that it will feature 4GB of RAM, an increase from the current 3GB in the ‌iPhone‌ SE.

The new ‌iPhone‌ SE will be gaining 5G connectivity, and given its small size, some customers may be wary about battery life. It's worth noting, however, that the A15 chip is Apple's latest chip, and the new chip offers higher efficiency than the A13 Bionic in the current ‌iPhone‌ SE. The account "yeux1122" claims that the battery life improvements will be "significant."

The account has been the source of some information in the past, including allegedly sharing details about the iPhone 14. The account, did, however, incorrectly state that Apple would release an "iPad mini Pro" in the second half of 2021, which did not take place.

Apple's "Peek Performance" event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 8. We'll have coverage here at MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account. For a quick and updated refresher of everything we expect during the event, see our guide.

Apple could unveil a new "Mac Studio" machine and a new display that runs iOS at the March 8 event, according to a last minute confirmation from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a tweet, Gurman says that the ‌Mac Studio‌ and a "new monitor running iOS are "ready to go" and will likely be debuting tomorrow.

Earlier today, YouTuber Luke Miani shared renders of what he claims is the "‌Mac Studio‌," showing off a machine that features a design like a thick Mac mini. The "‌Mac Studio‌" features the same square-shaped design as the current ‌Mac mini‌, but it measures in at four inches tall and it has a new thermal design to mitigate heat.

Miani said that the "‌Mac Studio‌" would "unequivocally" be announced during the spring event, and now it appears Gurman is backing that up.

We first heard the name "‌Mac Studio‌" last week from 9to5Mac, with the site describing it as a sort of ‌Mac mini‌ and Mac Pro hybrid device. Prior rumors have pointed toward both a high-end ‌Mac mini‌ and a smaller ‌Mac Pro‌ that are in development, and it appears that these rumors may have been talking about the same ‌Mac Studio‌ device.

The hybrid ‌Mac Studio‌ could replace the high-end ‌Mac mini‌ and it could be sold as a smaller alternative to the ‌Mac Pro‌. It is not expected to be as powerful as the ‌Mac Pro‌, but it is expected to use Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, along with an option for a more powerful version of the ‌M1 Max‌.

To go along with the ‌Mac Studio‌, Apple is rumored to have a "Studio Display" ready to go. Miani said that the Studio Display will feature a 27-inch size with slightly larger bezels than the Pro Display XDR, and now Gurman suggests that it will "run iOS," indicating a built-in A-series chip.

We've previously heard rumors about some kind of display with an A-series chip inside, though it was thought that such a display would be a Pro Display XDR successor. Instead, the monitor coming tomorrow is expected to be more affordable than the $5k Pro Display XDR, but no pricing information is available.

Apple's full plans for the ‌Mac Studio‌ and potential Studio Display will become clear tomorrow morning, with the "Peek Performance" event set to kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

The updated iPad Air that Apple is expected to unveil at tomorrow's "Peek Performance" event could include the same M1 chip that's featured in the 2021 iPad Pro, according to information shared by 9to5Mac. Last year's ‌iPad Pro‌ was the first iPad to get Apple's M-series chip, and adding the ‌M1‌ to the ‌iPad Air‌ would put ‌iPad Air‌ performance on par with the current ‌iPad Pro‌ models and the 2020 MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini.

All prior rumors about the ‌iPad Air‌ have suggested that it will be similar to the iPad mini, featuring the same A15 chip along with 5G connectivity. Adding the ‌M1‌ to the ‌iPad Air‌ would make it very similar to the more expensive top-of-the-line ‌iPad Pro‌, and if Apple does opt to do so, ProMotion display technology (with mini-LED in the 12.9-inch model) and the LiDAR camera would be the main differences between the ‌iPad Air‌ and the ‌iPad Pro‌ lines.

The ‌M1‌ chip features a 8-core CPU and a 7 to 8-core GPU, and comparatively, the A15 chip has a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, so the ‌M1‌ does offer some speed improvements over the A-series chips.

Apple's "Peek Performance" event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time tomorrow, so we don't have much more time before we learn exactly what chip Apple is adding to the ‌iPad Air‌. We'll have coverage here at MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Apple is planning to replace the notch in some of the iPhone 14 models that are launching this year, with the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max set to gain a design that features a pill-shaped cutout that will house the Face ID elements and a second hole for the selfie camera.

We've heard this rumor multiple times before, but display analyst Ross Young today reiterated his expectations for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup and provided some color on what's coming in the future.

The pill-shaped ‌Face ID‌ cutout + camera cutout combination is going to be about the same width as the notch, according to Young, but it will "certainly save some pixels above the holes."

After implementing the new design in the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models, Young believes that Apple will expand it to the entire ‌iPhone‌ 15 lineup in 2023, bringing the updated look to even the lower-cost ‌iPhone‌ 15 options.

Young says that there's a chance the pill and holes could get smaller in 2023 than they are in 2022, freeing up more display space. Citing leaks on Chinese social network Weibo, Young speculates that the camera cutout in the ‌iPhone‌ 14 could measure in at 5.631mm, which leaves room to shrink it down next year.

Apple does have plans to eventually replace ‌Face ID‌ with under panel ‌Face ID‌ that would not necessitate a pill-shaped cutout for the hardware, but this technology is not expected to be ready for the 2023 ‌iPhone‌ launch.

However, we have heard from a few sources that under panel Face ID won't likely meet the timing for 2023 mass production. Part of this could potentially be related to coordination between the display and sensor teams. Of course, at least two of their suppliers would also have to be qualified to produce it in mass production. Companies we talked to did not expect it to launch in 2023.

Young also has information about the ‌iPhone‌ display roadmap from 2024 to 2027, but it requires a subscription to DSCC Weekly Review, Young's publication that is aimed at those who follow display-related stocks and is thus quite pricey.

Google today announced that updates made to the Chrome browser have improved performance on Apple's Macs, with Google Chrome earning a score over 300 on the Speedometer benchmark that evaluates the responsiveness of a browser.

In a post on the Chromium blog, Google explains the technological improvements that have been introduced over the past months to make Chrome the "fastest possible browser." Google says that in the M99 release of Chrome, which is the newest version, it was able to "substantially" increase browser speeds across all major platforms.

Building on many performance changes over the last year, we enabled ThinLTO in M99, a build optimization technique that prioritizes code focused on browser speed. The result? An additional across-the-board speed bump that makes Chrome 7 percent faster than Safari.

Since Chrome launched for M1 Macs in late 2020, optimizations have made the browser 43 percent faster in 15 months. According to Google, Chrome is now 15 percent faster than Safari when it comes to graphics performance, and the company says it will continue to invest in innovative features that "push the performance of Chrome."

Apple and Comcast today announced that Apple TV+ will be available across Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, and XClass TV on all eligible devices starting today and in the coming days.

As part of the expansion of TV+ across Comcast services, Apple will be offering Xfinity customers access to the "first seasons of many of its most popular shows, as well as the blockbuster Apple Original film “Greyhound" for free, without any sign up required.

Customers who are not currently subscribed to ‌Apple TV‌+ will be able to receive a three-month free trial of the streaming platform when they sign up on their Xfinity device by April 25.

‌Apple TV‌+'s expansion to Comcast services was teased by the company's CEO in October. "Our work with Comcast lights up that experience for tens of millions of new devices, and we are thrilled that so many Comcast customers have a compelling way to enjoy their new favorite shows on ‌Apple TV‌+," said Peter Stern, Apple's vice president of services.

Apple may release a new 30W power adapter with a new form factor design in 2022, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.

Kuo said the power adapter will utilize gallium nitride or "GaN" technology, which allows for smaller, lighter, and more power efficient chargers than silicon-based chargers. The new 30W adapter would likely be a smaller and lighter version of Apple's existing 30W USB-C power adapter that is included with the latest MacBook Air.

Apple released its first GaN power adapter last year in the form of its 140W USB-C power adapter for the redesigned 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Many third-party brands like Anker and Belkin have introduced GaN-based chargers over the last few years for use with Apple products.

Apple will be a hosting its "Peek Performance" event tomorrow at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with rumored announcements including a new iPhone SE, a new iPad Air, and potentially a so-called "Mac Studio" desktop computer that can be paired with a new Apple external display. A new green color option for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini has also been rumored.

Apple's long-awaited consumer-level display, reportedly set to be called the "Studio Display," will launch tomorrow during Apple's "Peek Performance" event, according to a new rumor from YouTuber Luke Miani.

In a video showcasing renders alleged to be the upcoming "Mac Studio," Miani also shares renders of the "Studio Display." According to the YouTuber who has an unverified track record when it comes to sharing Apple's plans, the display will measure 27-inches in size with slightly larger bezels than the Pro Display XDR and no rear pattern. The renders show a design similar to Apple's 24-inch iMac, but with a black front bezel and without any visible external ports, although one port would be required for connecting to a computer.

Yesterday, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects Apple to release a consumer-level display in a 27-inch size without mini-LED this year, and if today's rumor turns out to be true, it'll launch as soon as tomorrow. Today's rumor sheds no light on the potential price of the display, but a price tag around $1,000 seems reasonable given its rumored specifications.

Apple's event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 8. In addition to being streamed on YouTube, the event can also be watched through the events webpage and in the Apple TV app. If you're unable to watch, you can tune in to MacRumors on the site or through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account. For a detailed rundown of everything we expect, see our guide.

Apple plans to introduce a new green color option for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini at its "Peek Performance" event tomorrow, according to Luke Miani, host of a tech channel on YouTube. This would be similar to Apple announcing a purple color option for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini at its April 2021 event last year.

Miani said Apple also plans to introduce a purple color option for the iPad Air, as is already available for the iPad mini. A new iPad Air as a whole is expected, with key new features rumored to include an A15 chip, an upgraded 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage support, 5G for cellular models, and Quad-LED True Tone flash.

Mockups of what the new colors could look like were shared by concept artist Ian Zelbo, and more details are available in an AppleTrack blog post.

Apple's virtual "Peek Performance" event takes place on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a video stream to be available on Apple's website and YouTube. MacRumors will have full coverage of the event as it unfolds, with other rumored announcements including a new iPhone SE, a so-called "Mac Studio" desktop computer, a new external display, and more.

Renders alleged to be the "Mac Studio," described as a hybrid between a Mac Pro and Mac mini, have surfaced online just a day before Apple holds its "Peek Performance" event, where at least one new Mac is expected to be announced.

The renders were shared by YouTuber Luke Miani, and shows a design similar to the ‌Mac mini‌, with a very similar footprint but approximately four-inches tall compared to the ‌Mac mini‌ at 1.4 inches.

The ‌Mac Studio‌, according to the renders, will feature an LED light on the front and a thermal design on the bottom for heat. The renders do not include details on the types of ports on the ‌Mac Studio‌, although Miani says in an accompanying post on AppleTrack it will feature a "wide array of IO" with more USB-C ports than the current M1 ‌Mac mini‌, which only includes two ports.

Other specifications, including what chips the machine will run, are also not included in the newly leaked information, but Miani says Apple will "unequivocally" announce the ‌Mac Studio‌ during its event tomorrow.

Last week, 9to5Mac reported on the existence of the "‌Mac Studio‌," describing it as a hybrid between Apple's highest-end Mac, the Mac Pro, and the Mac mini. The publication believes the "‌Mac Studio‌" will be the smaller ‌Mac Pro‌ previously reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. There are reportedly two different versions of the ‌Mac Studio‌ in development, one with the M1 Pro chip, and another with an even more powerful Apple silicon processor.

Apple is likely to announce at least one new Mac during its event on Tuesday, March 8. Rumors have suggested a new high-end ‌Mac mini‌ and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro are the most likely, but Apple is also working on a redesigned MacBook Air and a new iMac. For his part, Miani says he does not expect any Mac notebooks to be introduced at tomorrow's event.

For a full rundown of everything we expect Apple to announce tomorrow, be sure to check out our guide.

40 percent of iPhone users intend to buy the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE, according to the findings of a survey by SellCell.

Of the survey respondents that plan to buy the ‌iPhone‌ SE, 24 percent plan to use it as their main device, while 16 percent plan to give the device as a gift or use it as a secondary device. While most ‌iPhone‌ SE 3 buyers plan to use the device themselves, 10.9 percent plan to buy the device for a child, 10.2 percent plan to buy it for their partner or spouse, and 7.8 percent plan to buy it for a family member such as a parent or grandparent.

Most customers are planning to buy the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE because of its price point, but 15.2 percent are mainly attracted to 5G connectivity, 11.3 percent prefer its compact form factor, and 6.7 percent prefer the Home Button with Touch ID.

Most users upgrading to the ‌iPhone‌ SE will be upgrading from the ‌iPhone‌ 11, accounting for 11.5 percent of models that users intend to part ways with once the new ‌iPhone‌ SE launches. Beyond the ‌iPhone‌ 11, 6.8 percent are planning to upgrade from the ‌iPhone‌ XR and 6.7 percent are planning to upgrade from the ‌iPhone‌ 12, but there is widespread appetite to switch to the ‌iPhone‌ SE across multiple ‌iPhone‌ generations, from the ‌iPhone‌ 6 through to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max.

Of the users who are not planning to buy the new ‌iPhone‌ SE, 66.2 percent said that they are still happy with their current ‌iPhone‌ model, 9.3 percent are waiting for the ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup to launch, 4.1 percent say that the device is too small, and three percent say that it is not premium enough.

The independent survey asked 2,549 adult ‌iPhone‌ owners in the United States about their thoughts on the third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. For a more detailed breakdown, see SellCell's full survey breakdown.

The third-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE is widely expected to be announced at Apple's "Peek Performance" event on March 8, likely alongside the fifth-generation iPad Air, and potentially a redesigned high-end Mac mini and a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro.

WhatsApp is working on letting users conduct polls within groups on the chat platform, the latest beta for iOS has revealed (via WABetaInfo).

The coming ability to create polls within WhatsApp groups was confirmed in screenshots that show the process of setting one up, with users able to ask a poll question and group members able to choose from pre-defined answers.

Polls will only be available in WhatsApp groups and are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only people in the group can see the poll and the results.

A polls feature can already be found in rival messaging app Telegram, which is home to thousands of communities thanks to similar features dedicated to making groups more functional. Telegram introduced group polls in 2018. When polls will be ready to go live in WhatsApp remains unknown.

In addition, WhatsApp is also testing a dedicated "Community" tab to make it easier for users to keep track of groups and communities. The Community tab is expected to replace the existing Camera tab.

Meta-owned WhatsApp has worked to improve the group chat experience over the last few years in an effort to keep up with competing platforms, introducing group descriptions, a catch-up feature, a one-way messaging option, and protection for users who are being added repeatedly to groups they've left.

Apple is planning to hold its first media event of 2022 on Tuesday, March 8, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through a live stream. The event is expected to see the unveiling of a new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and at least one new Mac. We could also hear news related to the company's services and perhaps learn the release dates on iOS and iPadOS 15.4, alongside macOS Monterey 12.3, which introduces Universal Control amongst other new features.

There are multiple ways to watch the March 8 event, with details listed below. We've also included a useful guide on when the event will take place in your particular time zone.

Apple Events Website

With the Apple Events website, you can watch the event live on a Mac, ‌iPhone‌, iPad, PC, or any other device with a web browser. The Apple Events website works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and other main browsers.

Just navigate to www.apple.com/apple-events/ using a web browser at the appropriate time to watch. You can visit the site now to add an event reminder to your calendar.

YouTube

Apple also plans to stream the event live on YouTube, which is perhaps the easiest and most efficient way to watch because the YouTube live stream can be viewed on every platform where YouTube is available, which is pretty much all platforms, from smartphones and tablets to consoles and smart TVs.

Apple has posted a placeholder for the March 8 event on YouTube, and you can visit it now to set an event reminder through YouTube.

Apple TV App

Apple used to have a dedicated Apple Events app on the Apple TV, but ahead of WWDC in June 2020, it folded into the Apple TV app. On event day, there will be a prominent ‌Apple TV‌ app section dedicated to the live stream, which can be watched on any device where the ‌Apple TV‌ app is available.

This includes the ‌Apple TV‌, iPhones, iPads, Macs, and some smart TVs. If you have an ‌Apple TV‌, the ‌Apple TV‌ app is one of the best ways to watch the event live. Apple hasn't updated the ‌Apple TV‌ app with the new event as of yet, but it should be added soon.

Event Time Zones

Apple's event will take place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, like most events. Event times in other time zones are listed below.

• Honolulu, Hawaii — 8:00 a.m. HST
• Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKST
• Cupertino, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
• Phoenix, Arizona — 11:00 a.m. MST
• Vancouver, Canada — 10:00 a.m. PST
• Denver, Colorado — 11:00 a.m. MST
• Dallas, Texas — 12:00 noon CST
• New York, New York — 1:00 p.m. EST
• Toronto, Canada — 1:00 p.m. EST
• Halifax, Canada — 2:00 p.m. AST
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 3:00 p.m. BRT
• London, United Kingdom — 6:00 p.m. GMT
• Berlin, Germany — 7:00 p.m. CET
• Paris, France — 7:00 p.m. CET
• Cape Town, South Africa — 8:00 p.m. SAST
• Helsinki, Finland — 8:00 p.m. EET
• Istanbul, Turkey — 9:00 p.m. TRT
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 10:00 p.m. GST
• Delhi, India — 11:30 p.m. IST
• Jakarta, Indonesia — 1:00 a.m. WIB next day
• Shanghai, China — 2:00 a.m. CST next day
• Singapore — 2:00 a.m. SGT next day
• Perth, Australia — 2:00 a.m. AWST next day
• Hong Kong — 2:00 a.m. HKT next day
• Seoul, South Korea — 3:00 a.m. KST next day
• Tokyo, Japan — 3:00 a.m. JST next day
• Adelaide, Australia — 4:30 a.m. ACDT next day
• Sydney, Australia — 5:00 a.m. AEDT next day
• Auckland, New Zealand — 7:00 a.m. NZDT next day

MacRumors Coverage

If you're not able to watch or just want to follow along with us as we watch the event unfold, visit MacRumors.com for our liveblog or follow us on Twitter at MacRumorsLive for our live tweet coverage.

Both the MacRumors site and our Twitter account are excellent ways to discuss the new announcements with other Apple enthusiasts as Apple unveils new products. Later in the day and throughout the week, we'll also have much more in-depth coverage of all of Apple's announcements, so be sure to stay tuned.

Apple will not launch an iMac Pro or a Mac Pro until 2023, while it still plans to release a 27-inch external display without mini-LED sometime this year, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today on Twitter.

Outlining his predictions for Apple's Mac lineup in 2022 and 2023, Kuo said that Apple plans to release a new high-end Mac mini and a 27-inch external display without mini-LED in 2022, while an Apple silicon ‌Mac Pro‌ and ‌iMac‌ Pro will not launch until 2023.

Kuo's prediction that Apple does not plan to release an ‌iMac‌ Pro until next year is at odds with information shared by display analyst Ross Young. Young, who also boasts a credible track record regarding Apple products, has said an ‌iMac‌ Pro could launch as soon as June this year.

The ‌iMac‌ Pro is expected to replace the 27-inch Intel-based ‌iMac‌ currently in the lineup and be sold alongside the 24-inch desktop computer announced in April 2021. Young has said the ‌iMac‌ Pro will feature mini-LED and previous rumors suggest a similar design to the 24-inch size.

Given the large discrepancy between the information shared by both Kuo and Young, it could be plausible that the analysts are referencing different devices.

Kuo could be referencing a true professional-grade ‌iMac‌ at the highest-end of the lineup, while details put forth by Young are simply referencing a non-pro ‌iMac‌.

It's worth noting that Apple had previously used the "‌iMac‌ Pro" name in a now-discontinued ‌iMac‌, and despite one rumor suggesting the company will resurrect the name, it's debatable whether Apple will use the name again.

In the more immediate future, Kuo says that Apple plans to release an affordable display for consumers this year. Kuo says the display will measure 27-inches in size and not feature mini-LED. Just today, Mark Gurman noted that it's likely the display could be announced during the Apple event on Tuesday.

Kuo also confirmed today that Apple will launch a new high-end ‌Mac mini‌ this year and it's also expected to debut during next week's event. See our guide for a full rundown of everything we expect from Apple next week.

Apple completed work on an external display "months ago" and has planned to launch it shortly after the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in his latest Power On newsletter.

Apple is rumored to be working on two external displays, one being a direct successor to the high-end Pro Display XDR and a more affordable consumer-level display. According to Gurman, Apple completed development on a next-generation external display "months ago" and planned to launch it shortly after it debuted its latest MacBook Pros in October 2021.

Apple is expected to announce a new high-end and redesigned Mac mini during Tuesday's "Peek performance" event, and the launch of a new affordable external display alongside it seems logical. The display could cost around half of the Pro Display XDR, placing it at around $2,500.

A report this week from 9to5Mac suggested that Apple is working on a display with a 7K resolution and an A13 chip built-in. That display, however, is apparently separate from the more affordable option the company has been working on.

Alongside a new ‌Mac mini‌ and the possibility of a new external display, Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone SE and iPad Air with 5G and faster performance, an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Apple silicon chip, and a possible "wildcard" product announcement.

Evidence that Apple is testing the M2 Apple silicon chip, expected to debut first in a new MacBook Air and refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro, has been spotted by a developer ahead of Tuesday's "Peek performance" Apple event.

As reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, a "developer source" has informed him that in recent weeks, Apple has been testing a chip with an eight-core CPU and a 10-core GPU across multiple Macs on the latest macOS beta.

I'm told from a developer source that Apple has been testing multiple Macs with a new chip in recent weeks that includes an eight-core CPU (four efficiency cores and four high-performance cores) and 10 GPU cores. Those are exactly the specifications of the M2 chip I detailed last year.

Apple has been testing this new chip on machines running macOS 12.3 (which should be released in the next week or two and run on the new Macs) and a future macOS 12.4, as well as macOS 13, which will be previewed in June at WWDC 2022.

A similar story played out ahead of Apple's Mac-focused event in October, in which the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip names were spotted in app logs.

Apple's ‌M2‌ Apple silicon chip will be the first significant upgrade for Apple's custom silicon on the Mac since Apple unveiled its M1 architecture in November 2020. Apple has since introduced more powerful iterations of the ‌M1‌ chip, including the M1 Pro and M1 Max.

The ‌M2‌ chip is thought to make its way first to an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro and a completely redesigned ‌MacBook Air‌. Gurman said today that a new Mac mini, expected to feature ‌M1 Pro‌ and ‌M1 Max‌ chips, is "ready to go" and could launch next week. A new 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ and a new iMac could launch "as soon as the first half of the year," Gurman added.

Gurman reiterated his expectations for Apple's "Peek performance" event on Tuesday. As widely reported by previous rumors and leaks, a new iPhone SE with the same 4.7-inch design as the previous model is expected to be announced, but with the addition of 5G connectivity and a new chip.

A new iPad Air is also rumored to make its debut at the event, featuring the A15 chip, Center Stage, and 5G connectivity. Alongside the new ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and at least one new Apple silicon Mac, Gurman said that a fourth "wildcard" announcement is possible.

Apple's event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 8. In addition to being streamed on YouTube, the event can also be watched through the events webpage and in the Apple TV app. If you're unable to watch, you can tune in to MacRumors on the site or through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account. For a detailed rundown of everything we expect, see our guide.

It's finally time! After several months of quiet, Apple is ready to ramp things up again with its first event of 2022, scheduled for Tuesday, March 8.

Unsurprisingly, our top stories for this week are centered around the event, and they include the announcement itself, our overviews of what we should and shouldn't expect to see at the event, and even some last-minute rumors, so read on for all of the details!

Apple Event Announced for March 8: 'Peek Performance'

Apple this week announced that it will be holding a virtual event on Tuesday, March 8 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. The event has the tagline "Peek Performance" and will be streamed on Apple.com and on YouTube.

We've got a thorough guide and video of our expectations for the event, which include a third-generation iPhone SE and a fifth-generation iPad Air that are both expected to gain a faster A15 chip and 5G support, along with other new features. At least one new Mac with Apple silicon is also expected to be announced.

Also be sure to check out the latest episode of The MacRumors Show, where Dan, Hartley, and Sami share their thoughts on the upcoming event.

MacRumors will have live coverage of the "Peek Performance" event, which will kick off what is poised to be a busy 2022 for Apple.

Apple's 'Peek Performance' Event Page Features Animated AR Logo

Apple always creates unique graphics for its events, and each one comes with a morphing augmented reality logo for people to check out.

If you visit Apple's events website on an iPhone or iPad, you can see an augmented reality version of the logo that Apple created for its upcoming "Peek Performance" event on March 8.

What Not to Expect at Next Week's Apple Event

While there have been several rumors about what to expect at Apple's event next week, there are also a handful of products that are unlikely to launch until later this year or next year.

We've put together a list of products that are unlikely to be announced at Apple's event next week, such as second-generation AirPods Pro, which are instead rumored to launch in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Last-Minute 5G iPhone SE Details Leaked By Reliable Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared six "predictions" for the third-generation iPhone SE, providing several new insights into details about the device.

Repeating information from previous rumors, Kuo claims that the third-generation iPhone SE will feature the same design as the current model, the A15 Bionic chip, and 5G connectivity, but there are several new details, including a bump in the maximum storage capacity to 256GB, the same black, white, and red colors as the current model, and 5G support for both mmWave and sub-6GHz networks.

Will Apple Keep the Old iPhone SE Around at a Lower Cost?

The new ‌iPhone SE‌ is expected to be priced at $399 and it will be replacing the current ‌iPhone SE‌, but will Apple keep the older model around and drop the price as it sometimes does when new iPhones come out?

In his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggested that Apple could potentially keep the 2020 ‌iPhone SE‌ around, dropping the price to somewhere around $199.

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