We are just a day away from the biggest smartphone launch event of the year – Apple iPhone 14 series. Apple is all set to launch its 2022 lineup of iPhones at ‘Far Out’ event on September 7. Other than the new iPhones, there’s more that Apple will launch. However, there are also some products for which Apple fans will have to wait longer. Here’s all that Apple is likely to launch and not launch at its September 7 event.
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May launch: 4 new iPhones
Apple is likely to launch four new iPhone as part of the iPhone 14 lineup — iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Here ‘Pro’ designating higher-end specs and ‘Max’ refer to the larger screen size. A notchless display and a 48-megapixel camera are expected on the Pro and Max models, among other changes. The biggest upgrade to the iPhone 14 lineup this year is likely to be the addition of the iPhone 14 Max model. This will be the first time that Apple offers a 6.7-inch iPhone model with the ‘Pro’ features.
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May launch: 3 new Apple Watch models
Apple is expected to launch three new Apple Watch models at the event. These are likely to include Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 8 Pro and Apple Watch SE 2. While the Apple Watch Series will succeed Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8 Pro will be a rugged edition of Apple Watch Series 8. This will be the first time that Apple will launch the Pro Model in Apple Watch. The third model, Apple Watch SE 2, will succeed the original Apple Watch SE launched in 2020.
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May launch: AirPods Pro
Apple AirPods Pro 2 too may just arrive in tow with the iPhone 14 series lineup. According to Bloomberg’s Mark German, Apple could unveil its most powerful true wireless earbuds at the Far out event. “I reported last year that new AirPods Pro would arrive in 2022, and now I’m told that Wednesday will be their big unveiling,” said Gurman in his weekly newsletter. Since their launch, the AirPods Pro have only received software-related upgrades like support for Lossless audio or Apple’s Spatial Audio tech. The upcoming AirPods Pro are also expected to bring certain health and fitness-related sensors. Launched in 2019, it has been three years since the AirPods Pro saw an upgrade.
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May not launch: Apple iPhone Mini
iPhone 12 mini is the smallest of the four iPhone models Apple launched in October 2020 at its “Hi, Speed” event. The iPhone with a 5.4-inch display has been a good option for those wanting a smaller high-end phone. Both iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini offered many similar specifications and feature sets as their regular-sized siblings. However, it seems the iPhone 12 mini or 13 mini failed to find enough takers. As per a report from Consumer Research Intelligence Partners (CIRP), the iPhone 13 mini constituted only 3 percent of total sales of the iPhone 13 series in the US during Q1 2022. Meanwhile, other iPhone models performed comparatively much better; the standard iPhone 13 had a 38 percent share. The same happened a year ago, as only 6 percent of customers in the US bought iPhone 12 mini in the first two months since the launch. So, it seems that the demise of the mini-sized iPhone is imminent this year.
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May not launch: AirPods 4
Apple is unlikely to launch the successor of AirPods 3, the affordable version of AirPods. Apple launched the third-generation AirPods, which sport an external redesign with shorter stems similar to AirPods Pro. The model numbers for the third-generation AirPods are A2565 and A2564. The AirPods 3 are currently available at Rs 18,000 (approximately).
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May not launch: HomePod 2
Apple discontinued the original HomePod in 2201. Could a HomePod 2 be on the way? Seems unlikely. HomePod is Apple’s flagship smart speaker that is now five years old, but is still to get a successor. Apple announced the original HomePod in 2017. In October 2020, Apple followed it up with the launch of the smaller HomePod Mini. In October 2021, HomePod Mini got new colours. However, for now it seems Apple fans will have to wait longer for the flagship Apple speaker that is likely to come in early 2023.
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May not launch: iPad Pro 2022
Apple has already confirmed the delay in the rollout of iPadOS 16. This also makes it almost certain that Apple fans will not see the company launching the new iPad Pro at the event. Traditionally too, the premium Apple tablet has been launched at an event in October. Reports claim that iPad Pro 2022 powered by M2 chip will arrive at an event in October. However, for those waiting for OLED displays on the iPad Pro 2022, it is unlikely to come before 2024.
