What to expect from Apple in 2022: Rugged Watch, iPhone 14 and a MacBook Air redesign

From a new iPad Pro to the iPhone 14, it looks like Apple is in for a busy 2022 full of new product releases.

Apple tends to host multiple events every year, all of which are usually home to lots of new reveals and upgrades to existing tech. Early rumours point to 2022 being no different.

Here’s everything we (think we) know about Apple’s plans for 2022.

An iPad Pro with wireless charging

The iPad Pro picked up a hefty update this year, with the larger 12.9-inch model adding a stunning Mini-LED display that does a good job at mimicking some of the best features of OLED tech.

Rumours have suggested that the next iPad Pro, likely coming in 2022, will have a new design and some form of wireless charging. Wireless charging isn’t a complete unknown on tablets, you’ll find it on the latest Fire HD range from Amazon, but it’s still rare and the reasoning for adding it to a large tablet isn’t overtly clear.

Other rumours have suggested the smaller 11-inch model will inherit the same Mini-LED panel as the current 12.9-inch model and we’d expect to see the usual chipset improvements too.

Expect other iPads to bag upgrades too. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg expects an updated iPad Air and entry-model iPad to arrive sometime during the year too.

A lot of Mac upgrades, including a MBA rethink

If the rumours are to be believed then 2022 is going to be full of upgrades to the Mac line. Reports have said we could see a new high-end iMac with a screen larger than the current M1 version, another Mac Mini and perhaps even a Mac Pro. Expect most, if not all, of these to be powered by Apple’s own silicon.

The rumoured launch that has caught our eye the most though surrounds the MacBook Air. Apple’s most popular laptop could be in for a big year, with a complete redesign that takes plenty of cues from the recent iMac regeneration.

Other rumoured features include an M2 chipset, a Mini-LED display with the same notch as the 2021 MacBook Pro models and plenty of colour options.

A rugged Apple Watch

The Apple Watch has only picked up minor updates in the past few years. The Apple Watch Series 6, for instance, added a blood oxygen sensor while the Series 7 gave us a larger display.

Rumours had tipped the Series 7 to receive a huge redesign, with flat sides, but that never came to be. There’s a chance we could see this redesign arrive for the Series 8 in 2022.

Early leaks point to Apple adding a new rugged model to the Apple Watch line likely designed more for extreme sports use. A new SE model has been touted, too.

AirPods Pro 2

It’s been a couple of years since we had the AirPods Pro, and there are plenty of rumours hinting at a new pair arriving towards the end of 2022.

Rumoured features for the AirPods Pro 2 include a new design that ditches the stems for a more in-ear look, some basic fitness tracking and a new chip for improved connectivity.

Considering the base AirPods have only just been upgraded we doubt they’ll be an AirPods 4 next year and it seems we might be waiting a while for the next iteration of the AirPods Max.

The usual array of software upgrades, including iOS 16

Apple typically updates its huge software portfolio every year, so it’s pretty much guaranteed we’ll see iOS and iPadOS 16 along with the updates to tvOS, macOS and watchOS. Maybe we’ll even see the highly-touted Universal Control feature finally arrive.

Not much is known yet about these upgrades and leaks have been sparse. We’ll likely find out a lot more at WWDC, which typically takes place in June.

iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and maybe an iPhone SE

iPhone 14 renders leaked moments after the iPhone 13 was announced, showcasing an updated design with a flush camera module on the back and a smaller cutout notch for the front camera. More recent reports have also added weight to the idea the Pro models will finally ditch the hefty notch in 2022.

It looks like the Mini iPhone is getting the chop, with the regular iPhone 14 consisting of the same 6.1 and 6.7-inch sizes as the Pro.

We can make some general guesses about the next iPhone, too. Expect it to have an A16 chipset, a focus, once again, on the camera and release sometime in September.

Other rumours have pointed towards a new iPhone SE – Apple’s most affordable smartphone that was last updated in early 2020. Hopefully, the next version of this will pack 5G support.

A first look at a mixed reality headset

It looks like 2022 might herald the launch of Apple’s first completely new product category in years. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple’s long-rumoured mixed-reality headset will finally arrive in 2022 and will consist of a device that combines AR and VR.