I can’t complain about the lack of interesting Apple products over the past year, with a gorgeous new iMac and a MacBook Pro delivering just about everything I dared hope for.
But Apple still hasn’t given us everything we hoped for. Here are some of the Apple products I’d like to see this year.
A cheaper screen for Apple users
Finding a new display for your MacBook, Mac mini, or even Mac Pro isn’t as easy as buying a new one. smart watch for your iPhone (the Apple Watch, of course).
Of course, any monitor with the right ports to connect to your Mac – USB-C or HDMI – will do. But sometimes we Mac picky eaters want that little extra: Thunderbolt 3, True Tone to match the display on the MacBook itself, or the ability to adjust the brightness of the external display using of the Touch Bar.
The LG UltraFine series monitors offer just that and are capable enough for most Mac users, but they’re also pretty boring in their style. Apple’s XDR screens look better, but their price will hurt your wallet a bit.
But maybe, just maybe, Apple could work on a new Apple-branded display with a more affordable price tag. Those of us who remember the Thunderbolt Display and Cinema Display expect it to be something similar. It won’t be cheap, but it should at least be more reasonable than XDR.
My trusty old display was reasonably modern for its time when I bought it 12 years ago, with 1080p resolution, HDMI and a 24-inch panel. But when it suddenly stops now and then, it reminds me of those rumors about a new screen from Apple. I’m ready for an Apple display that costs an arm and a leg, but not an entire body.
The next generation of MacBooks
I’ve seen what Apple can do with the MacBook Pro: retro design, monstrous performance, and reassuring connectivity. Now I also want to see this in a cheaper model, with equally thin screen bezels (can we lose the notch please), MagSafe and mini-LED.
Call it a MacBook (the early removal of the Air’s iconic “wedge” design makes rebranding a logical move), price it no more than $1,200, and I’m sold. With the M2 it will probably be faster than the 16 inch Intel model I currently own.
Learn more about the next MacBook Air.
The next iPad Air
I currently have an iPad Pro that’s four…almost five years old, in fact, and I’m more than ready for a new iPad Air to take its place. This time one with a 120Hz screen refresh rate.
I would have gladly replaced it with the current iPad Air, if it weren’t for the refresh rate issue. Once you’ve tried smooth ProMotion 120Hz scrolling, there’s no going back. But if I want a new 120Hz iPad right now, it has to be a Pro, and that’s way too expensive for my liking.
The second-generation Apple Pencil charges smarter and fits better in your hand, and USB-C would be fine for those times – maybe two in all – when you’ve wanted to plug a hard drive straight into your tablet. But I don’t need Pro performance and the latest iPad Pro models are just too expensive, especially with the accessories.
So my old 10.5-inch iPad Pro will last a bit longer, until a new iPad Air with a 120Hz display arrives.
…and what I don’t need to see
Glasses. Apple virtual reality headsets, what’s really going on? Apparently the headset will focus on both gaming and communications, but Apple and gaming have never gone very well together. Apple Arcade isn’t that exciting.
And communication? Are we going to see a metaverse version of FaceTime? It’s not something I miss in my daily life, I know that.
I’m glad to be wrong, but so far it smacks of failure or the long haul. There are plenty of other things on my whimsical wishlist to buy instead.
If you want to know more about Apple’s plans for the year ahead, read our guide to what’s coming in January and our thoughts on new products for 2022.
Original article published in English on our sister site igamesnews UK.
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