Here’s our prediction for Apple in 2022: it’s going to make a ton of money. And it’s going to do that by making some very big changes to its product line-up including more M-powered Macs, an iPhone 14 that brings the radical redesign that people are hunting for, a new Apple Watch model alongside the Series 8… and the launch of its long-awaited AR headset.
Along with these, we're anticipating upgrades to the AirPods Pro and iPad Pro too, as well as the MacBook Air. If you’re planning on buying Apple in 2022, here’s what you can expect.
Byeeeeeeeee!
Apple in 2022: iPhone 14 with a new design and no notch
The iPhones are among the best phones in the world, and in 2022 the iPhone 14 will come with lots of improvements designed to keep it at the very top of the smartphone league.
The iPhone 14 is going to get a very different design in 2022: the larger models, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, are going to lose the notch in favour of a hole-punch design rather like the Samsung Galaxy S21. Some reports say that the body will be made from titanium to make it stronger, and that the camera bulge will be significantly slimmer or possibly completely flat.
The other big change is going to be in the camera, which is reportedly a 48MP model in the iPhone 14. It’s unclear whether that will also come with a periscope lens, which would fit with the flat-back rumour; we’ve previously been told that that won’t be ready until 2023.
The iPhone 14 is also expected to get ProMotion displays across all models for smoother scrolling and animation, USB-C for charging and hopefully faster wireless charging too.
Apple in 2022: Apple Watch 8, new Apple Watch SE and a new rugged model
The rumours about a radically redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 didn’t amount to anything, but that might be because they weren’t the Series 7: the Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to get a new, more rugged sibling model designed for athletes and adventurers, which will look different from the rest of the range.
The other key changes are likely to be the sensors inside the Watch. Apple was revealed as the biggest client for UK medical sensor firm Rockley Photonics earlier this year, and that firm has developed sensors that can read blood signals such as blood glucose, alcohol levels and blood pressure using only infra-red light. We know that Apple has been testing blood glucose sensing, so that so perhaps that will be on the cards – though a blood pressure sensor is right up Apple's heart health alley too. There have also been multiple predictions by well-connected Apple watchers that the Apple Watch Series 8 will have body temperature sensors.
The current Apple Watch tops our best smartwatches guide, so it’ll be interesting to see how the new model compares. There will also be a new Apple Watch SE to keep the entry level model up to date.
Apple in 2022: five more Macs and the end of the MacBook Air?
Apple will move the rest of the Apple lineup onto Apple Silicon in 2022, and that means lots and lots of new Macs to choose from. The 2022 MacBook Air is likely to be renamed MacBook and will become even thinner and lighter, and more colourful, just like the 24-inch iMac.
Speaking of which, that's set to be joined a new, larger and more powerful sibling most likely called the iMac Pro – likely powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips of the new MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch, and also with a mini-LED screen like those models.
The Mac mini will get a processor upgrade and we might see the brand new, Apple-powered Mac Pro this year, though that feels far from certain at this point. At least some of these Macs will have the next generation of Apple’s M1 silicon, the M2.
Apple in 2022: Apple’s AR headset arrives to kick Facebook's ARs
Forget Facebook’s metaverse: it’s Apple’s adventures in AR that we’ll be fascinated by in 2022. We’re expecting Apple’s long-awaited Apple AR Headset to launch in 2022, and if the various predictions are true it’s going to be one hell of a headset.
One of the key features in the Apple AR headset is hand and gesture tracking, which means you won’t have to hold controllers in your hands. The headset will focus on three key areas: gaming, entertainment and AR/VR FaceTime, and Apple is believed to be commissioning shows specifically for watching in augmented or virtual reality.
We’re really interested in this one, because Tim Cook has said for some years now that Apple is intensely interested in augmented reality: some pundits predict that AR may start to replace the iPhone in as little as a decade.
Apple in 2022: the iPad Pro cuts the cables and gets a redesign too
The 2022 iPad Pro probably won’t get an OLED display – that appears to be something Apple’s planning for 2023 or 2024 – but the iPad Pro (2022) is reported to be getting MagSafe wireless charging and the ability to reverse charge other Apple devices such as the iPhone and AirPods. That should keep it atop the best tablets chart for another year.
Apple in 2022: AirPods Pro 2 shrink the stems
Apple’s best wireless earbuds are the AirPods Pro, and they’re due an update in 2022 with new motion sensors to enable onboard fitness tracking and a new design that reduces the size of the stems considerably, making them look more like the Beats Fit Pro.
So that's new iPhones, new Apple Watches, new MacBooks, new iMacs, new Mac Pros, new AirPods Pro, new iPad Pros and a new Apple headset. Apart from that, a pretty quiet year...
