What to expect from Apple’s ‘Peek Performance’ event

Apple is poised for its first livestream event of 2022 today, Tuesday, March 8th at 1PM ET. The company sent out press invitation emails for the event titled “Peek Performance,” with rumors strongly suggesting Apple will announce a new third-generation iPhone SE with 5G.

That’s not all Apple might announce today, so prime your expectations for the Apple event by reading about all the rumors and details below. The rumor mill is abuzz concerning this event and anything mentioned here is strictly that – RUMORS.

IPHONE SE 3 WITH 5G
The upcoming third-generation iPhone SE is expected to succeed the 2020 model as the new budget-friendly iPhone option. The first iPhone SE came out in 2016 and remained available for four years, which means the SE line is set for a quicker change of pace.

The iPhone SE 3 will probably include the latest A15 Bionic chip, 5G with millimeter wave, 64GB base storage with 128GB / 256GB options, and retain the design and colors of the current model. Kuo shared the info via Twitter on a verified account that has remained quiet until now.

The 2020 iPhone SE offered a good value with the then-latest chipset, but its battery life was never the star of the show. Now that US carriers only want phones with 5G on their shelves, the battery life in a new iPhone SE would be a bigger concern — especially if the form factor remains the same.  There’s no word on price yet, but don’t expect to see a reduction to the starting $399 price. 5G modems are still expensive, so a starting storage option of 64GB makes sense if the price is to remain the same. Touch ID would also keep costs down.

iPAD AIR IS EXPECTED TO BE UPDATED AS WELL?
The iPad Air received an iPad Pro-style redesign in 2020: it got flat edges, thin bezels, Apple Pencil 2 support, USB-C, and a new Touch ID sleep / wake button. It makes sense for Apple to roll out an updated iPad Air with the latest A15 Bionic processor and with a 5G option — and perhaps center stage as well. And although FaceID would be welcome, don’t expect any other changes.

MACBOOK AIR REDESIGNED AND WITH A NEW M2 PROCESSOR?
It’s possible that Apple announces a new MacBook Air with a new M2 chip at this event. The current design of the MacBook Air dates back to 2018 and was a testbed for the Apple M1 chip debut in 2020. But it’s 2022 now, and you have freshly updated MacBook Pro designs with better screens and a better camera so you can expect the MacBook Air will soon follow.

APPLE TV PLUS GETTING MORE SHOWS AND MOVIES
The last time Apple held an event in March was in 2019, a live presentation that showcased new premium Apple services like Apple TV Plus. Three years later, it’s very possible Apple could showcase new TV shows or movies like it did last September.

ONE MORE THING?
Some speculation of the meaning of Apple’s event invite title “Peek Performance” points to the word “Peek” as the name of a VR / AR product. While Apple’s long-rumored headset product is not expected to be ready until 2023, perhaps there’s a chance Apple will surprise us — just don’t expect to see an Apple Car anytime soon.

Apple is also expected to release some software updates: iOS 15.4 that can let your Face ID-enabled iPhone unlock while wearing a mask. Might this innovation be too little, too late as we are currently re-opening the country and removing mask mandates?

Let’s see what happens this afternoon….

https://www.macworld.com/article/619557/peek-performance-event-products-that-arent-coming.html