Anytime Apple holds an event, it usually means more products to explore, and the March 8 event was no different. While conventional wisdom told us we shouldn't expect too many product reveals, that didn't stop the crazy swirl of rumors that we've heard in recent weeks get our brains running.
Now, we know rumors are just that — rumors. You shouldn't put too much stock in them, but we can't help but notice that even though everything Apple announced covered a lot of what we were expecting, a few essential items didn't get didn't announced.
Some sort of MacBook
The Mac rumors floating around before the event were the most erratic of the bunch. Everything from an M2 13-inch MacBook Pro that would keep the same design — Touch Bar included — to a new iMac Pro was rumored at one point.
Through all that commotion, it seemed like a shoo-in that Apple would announce some MacBook at today's event. And yet, as we know now, that didn't happen.
The good news is that we know new Macbooks are coming at some point this year, and likely an M2 processor as well, so don't feel too bad about this one.
A new Apple TV
Although it was never highly speculated to appear, the Apple TV product has been pretty stale for years, and could've used an announcement. Yes, it did get a slight upgrade last year, but overall, the product's design, features, and overall use have remained stagnant for a long time.
There's a lot of hope for the future of Apple TV. Some rumors have even indicated Apple might release some sort of HomePod/Apple TB hybrid that might look like a soundbar. Nothing is concrete, but with Apple TV+ going strong still, you have to assume the Apple TV hardware will get some love one day.
A new iMac
Although Apple discontinued the iMac Pro a while ago, there was still a lot of hope for a new iMac to replace the 27-inch Intel iMac that Apple used to sell (more on that in a second) with something that had some of that fancy Apple silicon inside. Unfortunately, we didn't get a new 27-inch iMac or a new iMac Pro. Apple killed off the 27-inch Mac after the event. It's been removed from its webpage and is no longer for sale.
I hope this isn't the end of the line for 27-inch iMacs, but the way Apple was talking at the March event, I no longer have high hopes for the future of the device.
A 'peek' at something?
Technically, since nothing announced launches until March 18 at the earliest, everything we saw today was a "peek." The title of the event, Peek Performance, definitely lent itself to a lot of speculation. While a lot of people were hoping it was hinting at some Apple headset news, I had a different train of thought.
I thought it would be a peek at something that still had a while to go in production. It's not like Apple hasn't done it before — sometimes products don't come out for months after Apple announced them. What that something was, I didn't really care. I just wanted a little glimpse behind the curtain of what they have brewing up.
Of course, Apple has always kept its cards very close to its chest, and after the AirPower incident, perhaps Apple will never reveal something before it's ready ever again.
We did get some great new products today, though!
With the March 8 event over, we can revel in the glory of a few new products. Sure, we might've missed out on some announcements, but there is plenty to look forward to over the next few months.
There's no reason the newly-announced iPad Air 5 can't become iMore's favorite iPad again since its predecessor was well-regarded among our staff, and the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra is certainly an interesting new addition to the Mac lineup.
While we didn't get everything we may have hoped for, we know that as time goes by, more great products are bound to be revealed.
