Apple's iPhone SE and Mac mini spring event is on March 8

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited March 2022
Apple has announced it will be holding a spring special event on March 8 titled "Peek Performance," a presentation anticipated to focus on a 5G-equipped iPhone SE and an update to the Mac mini.




The Apple event will start at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern), and will be viewable through the normal video streaming venues. This will be Apple's first special event of 2022, following after the Unleashed event from October 18.

Prior to the of a spring event announcement, the March 8 event date was first rumored in a rumor from February 4.

AppleInsider will be covering the event live, offering full analysis throughout and after the event, complete with details of all of Apple's new product launches and updates.



What to expect at Apple's spring event

Apple has a large raft of rumored products set to launch throughout 2022. While some are expected to arrive later in the year, such as the usual fall "iPhone 14" refresh, there's a collection of products that could appear at this earlier event.

The main focus will probably be on the iPhone SE, with a third-generation device expected to pack 5G connectivity for the first time. Some rumors point to it consisting of a specifications bump while having the same design as the second-generation model, complete with a 4.7-inch display and Touch ID.

The iPad Air 5 is also said to be a potential candidate for the event, with speculation putting it as having similar feature upgrades as the iPad mini 6, including an upgrade to the A15 Bionic. 5G connectivity and an upgrade to the FaceTime HD camera to a 12-megapixel ultra-wide version with Center Stage support has also been touted.

On the Mac side, a revised Mac mini is a strong choice for launch, with it expected to enjoy an upgrade from the M1 to the M1 Pro and M1 Max. It is also expected to undergo a major revamp in design, with a thinner chassis, more ports at the back, and a magnetic power connection.

There has also been the suggestion the rumored larger Apple Silicon iMac could surface, replacing the 27-inch intel model, and potentially resurrecting the iMac Pro name. The model will most likely take after the 24-inch iMac in terms of physical design, and gain ProMotion and mini LED for the display, among other changes .

The iMac Pro may also benefit from a major M1 chip update, with one leaker saying a fourth variant of the Apple Silicon chip generation could be used, complete with a 12-core CPU.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Would be nice if it were 12/13 case style. But guess not
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 30
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    And then Apple holds the event and announces revised AirPods, a spec bump fir Final Cut Pro and nothing else. Chaos ensues. 😆 
    tobianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 30
    tobiantobian Posts: 148member
    5G SE with touch ID… first in the row! :)
    lkruppwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 30
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 
    canukstormcrowleytenthousandthingsradarthekatAlex_Vargonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 30
    TRAGTRAG Posts: 53member
    DAalseth said:
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 
    Hmmmmm. Hadn’t thought about it that way. Interesting…
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 30
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,239member
    DAalseth said:
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 
    Yup, Peek is definitely in reference to seeing something, so I find it hard to believe that this event is just about two refreshed entry-level products.
    williamlondonradarthekatJapheywatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 30
    DAalseth said:
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 
    Yup, Peek is definitely in reference to seeing something, so I find it hard to believe that this event is just about two refreshed entry-level products.
    If the goal was to get us interested, it would have been pique performance....

    (j/k folks, I really am looking forward to this!)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 30
    can't wait to get a "peek" at the new FaceTime equipped soundbar!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 30
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Magnetic power connection is a bad idea for a server.  Apple has yet to demonstrate 10GbE over the magnetic power+ethernet cable, too.
  • Reply 10 of 30
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    In order to peek at those high performance products I need my glasses.... wait, what?
    canukstormTRAGrundhvidradarthekatargonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 30
    AniMillAniMill Posts: 155member
    The promo video looks suspiciously like an AR/VR pitch. Perhaps they’ve successfully navigated the rumor-mill and are going to show their new AR/VR wares? If not, give me Mac Mini Pro w/ 10Gbe, M1 MAX 64GB!
    radarthekatAlex_Vargonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 30
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Peek and Pop were the terms Apple used when using different levels of 3D Touch, I would love to see it come back.  However, I imagine this is going to be a preview of something, probably the Mac Pro.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 30
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    DAalseth said:
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 
    A big segment of Apple's Pro customers are in film and NAB will be in April so I think it's likely they will want to show some higher-end models:

    https://nabshow.com/2022/

    The larger iMacs are long due an update and if they have XDR displays (and cheaper standalone ones), that would be worth showing off. A 40TFLOP M1 Max Quad with 1TB/s memory would be pretty amazing for effects work. It wouldn't be much better than a top spec 2019 Pro in all cases but I expect it to be priced significantly lower than that model's $20k+ price tag.

    An AR wearable product would be great to see, even if it's a preview for later availability. They may have a period for developers to get software ready with a beta realityOS and testing hardware.
    rundhvidradarthekattenthousandthingsargonautwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 30
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    DAalseth said:
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 

    Yeah, that’s how I’d read into… preview both the iMac Pro and Mac Pro... to be released late Summer early Fall

    Seriously thought they would announce these at WWDC, but maybe they already have too much to cover?
    canukstormwatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 30
    DAalseth said:
    And then Apple holds the event and announces revised AirPods, a spec bump fir Final Cut Pro and nothing else. Chaos ensues. 😆 
    come on, be nice.  I'm sure they could come up with a few new watchbands also
    muthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 30
    swat671swat671 Posts: 150member
    When I got the email this morning, the first thing I thought was like fitness performance, so I'm thinking some form of watch or exercise something or other. 
    radarthekatwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 30
    AppleZuluAppleZulu Posts: 1,987member
    DAalseth said:
    “PEEK Performance “? Hmm. Wonder if that means we’ll get early looks at MacPro and such to come this fall. 
    Hasn’t it been pretty well established that the “clues” in these announcements have a very low correlation rate to much of anything?
    williamlondonwatto_cobraargonaut
  • Reply 18 of 30
    A more affordable, prosumer grade Apple display, 5k in the 27"-30" range sitting atop a completely redesigned Mac mini with beefed up M1 pro/max capability designed to sit 'invisibly' beneath that display stand and I'm thinking this would be a great iMac replacement.  

    ... in addition to the modular elements that now give MacBook owners an affordable Apple display option or Mac mini owners a solid upgrade option. 

    I'd like to "Peek" at that 
    radarthekattenthousandthingsStrangeDayswatto_cobraargonaut
  • Reply 19 of 30
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    A more affordable, prosumer grade Apple display, 5k in the 27"-30" range sitting atop a completely redesigned Mac mini with beefed up M1 pro/max capability designed to sit 'invisibly' beneath that display stand and I'm thinking this would be a great iMac replacement.  

    ... in addition to the modular elements that now give MacBook owners an affordable Apple display option or Mac mini owners a solid upgrade option. 

    I'd like to "Peek" at that 
    Why sit on top?
    Lots of ways they could make it a nice rear socket that takes either a Display (Ax) or Mac Module (M2 Pro). 
    No need for cables except for the one heading to the wall sockets for power and ethernet. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 30
    While “peek” is getting a lot of attention, I’m curious about the use of “performance” in the event name. That would apply to a high-performance Mac mini of course, or even the M1Pro/Max in the 24-inch iMac, but I find myself wondering what this means. 

    I mean, the peak/peek pun probably means something. The Occam’s Razor interpretation is “a peek at peak performance” — desktop-class Apple Silicon, anyone?! I think it’s a stretch to interpret it otherwise — there’s a bunch of commenters on Ars Technica who seem to think it’s about AR, Watch, and athletic performance, like cycling, or something, I’m not sure, having skimmed over those.

    As others have said above, it could make sense to handle this (desktop-class M1 SoCs) now, before WWDC, where the M2 launch and indeed AR might well be the focus. 
    edited March 2022 watto_cobra
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