苹果早餐：展望 2022 年
Apple generates a lot of news, and it can be hard to keep up. If your mind was on other things this week, our Saturday-morning roundup of Apple-related headlines will bring you up to date.
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Looking ahead to 2022
Periodically we put together a guide to the Apple products that are likely to launch in the following month, and this week was the turn of December 2021. Which was a painful job, because the last month of the year is always a difficult call to make.
The run up to Christmas is so important for consumer tech companies that it makes very little sense to launch things in December: even if you announce on the 1st and ship on the 7th you’ve still cut a solid fortnight out of your potential festive buying period. That’s why we tend to predict things like no AirPods Max in December 2020, then have to eat our words with a side order of humble pie when Apple goes ahead and launches them anyway.
So it’s with a degree of trepidation that we again suggest that December might be a quiet month for Apple releases; maybe the company will surprise us again, but it would make more sense to wait until next year before rolling out anything major. And it’s time to start thinking about the big products that will be landing in 2022.
Such as the next version of the iPhone SE, for instance: this week we covered yet another report predicting it will launch in the spring of 2022. This much-anticipated device is shaping up to be quite the catch, offering a super-fast A15 chip and 5G support at an affordable price.
Or Apple’s AR headset, which pundits also expect to be announced in 2022 (although it may not go on sale until the following year). Knowledgeable Apple reporter Mark Gurman says this “will have a complex, expensive-to-build design, complete with interchangeable lenses”. It’s a hugely important market that Apple has been dancing around for years without releasing dedicated hardware.
That’s before we get to other exciting prospects coming in 2022, such as the next iPad Air, the MacBook Air and its M2 chip, and the upcoming (potentially 30in or even 32in) iMac. So even if it’s a quiet December, we’ve got an exciting year to look forward to afterwards.
News in brief
Apple has been fined €10m over its use of customer data. Italy’s AGCM “found that both Google and Apple failed to provide clear and immediate information on the collection and use of customer data for commercial purposes”.
In this week’s Different Think column, Samuel Nyberg mourns for the iPhone mini, the Apple handset that is most faithful to the spirit and intentions of the original iPhone from 2007.
Economists will enjoy getting their heads around this one: low supply of the iPhone 13 led to (comparatively) low demand, according to Bloomberg. Problems in producing sufficient handsets led potential customers to give up hope entirely.
But it’s important to keep things in perspective. Once more for the people in the back: iPhone sales are just fine, yells Michael Simon.
Pour one out for the iPhone 6 Plus, which will join Apple’s Vintage list at the end of 2021. That means Apple will stop making spare parts, and could encourage some hold-outs to buy a new iPhone.
The reports of Apple’s death in China are greatly exaggerated, reckons the Macalope.
Apple made a pair of clear AirPods and we want them.
Wondering which emoji get used the most? The Unicode Consortium can help with that, having this week released their list of the most frequently used symbols of 2021. Some of the picks will make you , we suspect.
Video of the week
Apple’s lawsuit against NSO Group, the tech firm behind the Pegasus spyware, seeks to hold the company accountable for alleged surveillance of select iPhone users. Digital rights activists have commended Apple for backing privacy rights, but fear the precedent it might set could affect organisations that support user privacy.
In the video embedded below, Ken Mingis and Lucas Mearian join Juliet Beauchamp to discuss what the lawsuit means.
Software, bugs & problems
Apple released the fourth beta – expected to be the final one – of iOS 15.2 on 2 December 2021. The public release is expected soon, and could arrive next week.
Wondering what’s coming in iOS 15.2? Lots of new features, including the ability to set up a Legacy Contact so that your loved ones can gain access to your devices if you die, to hide your own email address in Mail, and to scan for devices that may be tracking you.
More and more users are reporting charging problems with the M1 Max MacBook Pro. We were able to reproduce the same erratic behaviour. We’ve also had one reader complain that the keyboard in his new 14in MacBook Pro is acting up – could the old keyboard problems be reoccurring despite the demise of the butterfly keys?
Jason Snell explains why Monterey’s best feature still hasn’t arrived.
The rumour mill
Apple is still working on an AirPower-style charger, according to the latest report. The company is also said to be working on developing new technology for short- and even long-range wireless charging.
Apple’s M3 chips are reportedly on track for 2023, as the next-gen cycle begins.
You’ve probably head the rumours that Apple is working on a car. There’s masses of evidence that this is the case, from the fact that Apple has been seen testing autonomous vehicles on US roads to the revelation that the company is employing high-ranking experts it has recruited from the automotive industry. But what if it never releases a car? What if Apple actually makes a robot? This is the question Stephan Wiesend is asking in Could Apple’s Project Titan be a robot instead of a car?
Apple deals of the week
I’ve embedded a list of the best current Apple deals below, but other than that, we’re done for this week. See you next Saturday, enjoy your weekend, and stay Appley!
Top 10 Apple Deals
Apple 11in iPad Pro (2021, M1, 2TB) – Wi-Fi + Cellular
1
From: Amazon
Was: £1899
Now: £1,314.16 (£584.84 off)
We’re not sure if Amazon will bring back the £639 discount we saw in October on this iPad Pro M1 variant, but almost £600 off is still an excellent deal. See our review of the 11in iPad Pro with M1.
Adobe Creative Cloud – All Apps (1 Year)
2
From: Adobe
Was: £49.94 per month
Now: £39.95 per month (£119.88 off)
Adobe’s slashed 20% off its Creative Cloud subscription prices. The offer ends 14 April.
Apple AirPods 3
3
From: Amazon
Was: £189
Now: £159 (£30 off)
The AirPods 3 offer better battery performance, an updated design, and support for Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ. Save £30 from Amazon.
Smarty 12GB data SIM-Only
4
From: Smarty
Was: £8 per month
Now: £4 per month (50% off for 3 months)
Grab three months of 12GB data for just £4 per month. If you’re after more data, you can see all its plans here. You can cancel anytime.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB, Cellular)
5
From: Amazon
Was: £619
Now: £464 (£155 off)
This is the best deal we’ve seen on the iPad mini you can get the 64GB Cellular (RRP £619) for just £464 – which is less than the RRP for the Wi-Fi model!
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB (2020)
6
From: John Lewis
Was: £999
Now: £887 (£112 off)
For some time a gang of retailers have been offering the entry level MacBook Air for £889, but this month John Lewis has dropped the price to £887, RRP £999. Very has the same deal.
You can also get the £999 MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 7-core GPU in gold for £889 from Currys or Amazon, and AO.
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm)
7
From: Amazon
Was: £319
Now: £229 (£90 off)
Bag the last gen Watch 6 for under £300 at Amazon’s Spring Sale!
Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, Cellular)
8
From: Amazon
Was: £509
Now: £349 (£160 off)
Amazon’s just slashed £160 off the Watch Series 6 with Cellular connectivity as a part of its Spring Sale.
Apple 10.2in iPad (2021, 256GB, Wi-Fi)
9
From: Amazon
Was: $479
Now: $429 ($50 off)
Save $50 on the latest regular iPad. It’s a great affordable slate that’s perfect for web browsing or video calls.
Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard for iPad Pro 11
10
From: Amazon
Was: £189.99
Now: £115.99 (£74 off)
Save an excellent £74 on this Logitech keyboard for the iPad Pro 11 – this is currently the best discount we can see. The Combo Touch works with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen models.
Apple AirTags
11
From: Amazon
Was: £99
Now: £79.60 (£19.40 off)
Grab this set of Apple AirTags for just under £80 – that’s a saving of roughly £9 per AirTag, which costs £29 separately.
Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS, 41 mm)
12
From: Amazon
Was: $399
Now: $279 ($120 off)
The Apple Watch Series 7 has a solid $120 discount in Amazon’s Prime Day sale, making it one of the best prices around.
Beats Solo 3 Headphones
13
From: Amazon
Was: £179
Now: £99 (£80 off)
Get £80 off the Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear headphones (which we gave four stars in our review). They’re available in a range of colours.
Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case
14
From: John Lewis
Was: £239
Now: £189 (£50 off)
Amazon’s excellent £64 saving on the AirPods Pro from March is no longer available. Multiple sites are selling for £189 (a £50 saving), including AO and Laptops Direct – but we’d go with John Lewis on account of its two-year guarantee.
Apple Watch SE 2021 (44mm, GPS)
15
From: Amazon
Was: £299
Now: £239 (£60 off)
Get a great saving on last year’s Apple Watch SE from Amazon.
Logitech Crayon
16
From: Amazon
Was: £64.99
Now: £53.99 (£11 off)
Want a more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil? Check out the Logitech Crayon, which works with all iPads from 2018 and later.
Apple iPhone 12 mini (256GB)
17
From: Amazon
Was: £729
Now: £619.99 (£109.01 off)
The 256GB iPhone 12 mini has over £100 off from Amazon.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen)
18
From: Currys PC World
Was: £479
Now: £464 (£15 off)
A handy saving on Apple’s new iPad mini model for 2021, but note that this price applies to the Starlight colour finish only. eBuyer is matching the deal on certain colours.
Apple iPad Air (2022, 256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular)
19
From: KRCS
Was: £569
Now: £557.62 (£11.38 off)
KRCS has knocked money off the 2022 iPad Air. You will find savings across the whole range.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB (2020)
20
From: Very
Was: £1,249
Now: £1,099 (£150 off)
An excellent deal, this. Save money on the MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU from Very. The discount applies to the silver version only.
This deal is only slightly better than Currys who has the silver model for £1,099.97. John Lewis had the same deal, but it is currently out of stock there.