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That is it: the final installment of Keep Silly for the yr that was 2021. And I believe I converse for all of us once I say good riddance, too.
Having already lined the largest Apple strikes of 2021 it’s time now to look ahead to the yr that awaits us, stuffed with untrammeled chance and simmering pleasure. The final 12 months have been an eventful one for Apple, however we’re already beginning to see the form of the yr to return.
With that in thoughts, listed here are just a few of the largest issues I anticipate (and hope) to see out of Cupertino in 2022.
The tip of a transition, and the start of the long run
My colleague Jason Snell has already detailed the subsequent steps of the Apple silicon transition for the Macs. There are a number of Macs nonetheless ready to make the bounce from Intel, and if Apple delivers on its two-year transition promise, then the top of this yr will see one thing unprecedented within the firm’s historical past, with each single product made by the corporate constructed atop its very personal silicon.
The MacBook Professional made a splash in 2021, and 2022 might deliver extra Apple silicon goodies.
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That’s, merely put, astounding, and a feat that basically can’t be matched by another know-how firm on the market proper now. That shut integration may even proceed to open up doorways for Apple by way of the way it develops software program for its platforms, permitting extra interaction and have parity throughout its gadget lineup.
As for the top of the Mac transition, anticipate to see a redesigned high-end 27-inch iMac in spring, presumably alongside a high-end Mac mini. The highest of Apple’s line-up, the Mac Professional, is broadly regarded as the final Mac that may make the bounce, and thus most likely gained’t seem till the second half of the yr. However 2022 may even see the primary second-generation Apple silicon Macs, with the MacBook Air most likely main the cost and getting a extra thorough redesign than its predecessor. It stays an thrilling time to be a Mac consumer, which is a heck of a factor to say for a product that’s quickly approaching its fortieth birthday.
Going digital
It’s been some time since Apple final entered a brand new main product class, the final instance being the in the end underwhelming HomePod, which shipped in 2018. However that will change in 2022, as rumors of the corporate’s blended actuality headset have intensified vastly over the previous couple of months. Add to that experiences that Apple has from Meta and it’s wanting like Apple may lastly be prepared to indicate us its imaginative and prescient.
If the gadget does the truth is present up this yr, we will make educated guesses about just a few points of it. The primary mannequin to seem is prone to be expensive and can concentrate on digital and augmented actuality, resembling current headsets from the likes of Oculus and HTC. June’s Worldwide Builders Convention appears a great wager for its announcement, although it might primarily be focused at builders first—and with good motive since there are huge questions in regards to the software program aspect. What is going to make this compelling for the typical client that Apple targets? The corporate’s supposedly focusing on communication, media consumption, and video games, however a minimum of two of these would require some substantial buy-in from third events.
This headset could also be Apple’s entry into the metaverse that different huge tech firms are forging into, but when so, it’s most likely going to be a really Apple-like foray, together with a tougher stance on privateness than its opponents and smooth industrial design, although maybe a bit much less featureful than a few of its opponents. That stated, if there’s an opportunity that VR/AR is lastly going to go mainstream, it’s not sensible to wager towards Apple because the one to do it.
House once more
As we close to two years of being largely caught in our homes throughout a pandemic, I’m holding out hope that Apple will take one other crack on the dwelling.
The HomePod might have been a flop, however its successor, the HomePod mini, appears to be doing a lot better. The Apple TV hasn’t seen a considerable replace since 2015’s fourth-generation mannequin, so perhaps it’s time for Apple to suppose exterior the literal field. Discovering some solution to mix the capabilities of the HomePod mini and the Apple TV looks as if a great begin, particularly if it additionally consists of some type of Heart Stage-powered video chat system for FaceTime and SharePlay.
Apple’s dwelling push may transcend the HomePod in 2022.
Apple
Likewise, because the Matter initiative for good dwelling interoperability begins to really take off in 2022, it’s time for Apple to start out pushing tougher on good dwelling tech. For Apple, that ought to predominantly imply bettering the way in which we work together with our good units, together with redesigning the House app and beefing up Siri’s good dwelling controls.
All the pieces else
In fact, there might be new iPhones and iPads someplace alongside the way in which, and if rumor has it, maybe a few totally different variations of the Apple Watch, too. A second-generation model of AirPods Professional may assist quell a number of the lingering points besetting early adopters of these first-generation fashions. Updates to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS will little doubt headline WWDC, although what precisely they’ll deliver is anyone’s guess in the meanwhile.
Regardless of the availability chain points and results of COVID, Apple is poised for one more wildly profitable yr. The corporate made no scarcity of income in 2021, and I definitely don’t see any motive for that to alter in 2022. So brace your self: it’s going to be a wild journey.
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