Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed this week in a handy bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s cool if you want to read it during lunch or dinner hours as well.
Welcome to non-event
Apple is the king of press events and once held three consecutive months to launch a slew of products, including the Apple Watch Series 6, iPhone 12, and the first-generation silicon Apple Mac. There was a lot of excitement for everyone, and the technical journalists who had to cover the events didn’t even complain about it… too bad. But these were big launches, well worth a long stage time, and this week we saw Apple’s approach when it’s not so sure of itself.
On Tuesday (at an uncomfortably early hour for US-based journalists, who, I repeat, are absolutely the last to complain about their grief), the company unveiled the latest version of the Mac mini, equipped with the M2 and the all-new M2 Pro processors and updated 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the blazing-fast M2 Pro and M2 Max. Early Wednesday, he announced the bewildering return of the full-size HomePod. But none of these things were deemed worthy of an actual event, instead falling into inboxes as the self-deprecating form of a press release.
Now, I’m the first to admit that those weren’t blockbuster reveals. None of the new Macs have undergone a physical redesign, and the gains offered by the M2 chips over the M1 are understandably more iterative than revolutionary. It’s not immediately obvious, meanwhile, how the 2nd-gen HomePod addresses the limitations that led to its predecessor’s discontinuation, and it even looks the same. (That doesn’t stop me from wanting to try it, mind you. For all its flaws, I’m a sucker for the HomePod.) But it’s still odd that Apple chose not to make it a go. have.
Apple
It is suspected that there was disagreement over this very issue in Cupertino, as the company appears to have compromised by essentially creating a virtual event and then hiding it on the website instead of sending out invites. This is no ordinary product demo video: it’s nearly 20 minutes of announcements and features all the hallmarks of an Apple Virtual Event, from the drone zooming through Apple Park to hands-on flashcards summarizing specifications and key features. (Go to Apple.com and click “Watch the Announcement” to see what I mean.) Apple did almost all the work of hosting an event, but then decided to scrap it. I’ve written about the pros and cons of annoying events before, so I won’t repeat all the arguments. But it is a curious behavior to say the least.
Perhaps the answer lies in the future. It’s likely that Apple is acting coy because it wants to keep its powder dry ahead of the main event in March or April when we get our first look at the AR headset. Acting as the vanguard of an entire ecosystem of new products, the rumored Reality Pro could signal a shift in direction for Apple that will last for years to come, and it’s understandable that the company wants all eyes be riveted on that, rather than being distracted by minor hardware updates.
But come on, guys. January is a boring month, and we really wouldn’t blame you for a bit of glare.
Foundry
Trending: Top stories of the week
The thrill of apple silicon has already left, laments David Price.
The 2nd Generation HomePod is a really strange product.
Michael Simon asks the $50,000 question: when will Apple finish its Mac chip transition?
The “touch” part of a Touchscreen Mac is a delicate task, discovers the Macalope.
The HomePod mini the secret temperature sensor isn’t so secret anymore.
The rumor mill
Apple is reportedly no longer developing AR glasses due to “technical challenges”.
As part of a major push towards the smart home, Apple is developing a iPad-like magnetic screensmart displays and a faster Apple TV.
Podcast of the week
In Apple’s recent history, January is often a quiet month for product releases. But not this year! We’ve got new MacBook Pros, new Mac minis, and new M2 chips, and we’re all talking about them in this episode of the igamesnews Podcast!
You can watch every igamesnews podcast episode on Spotify, Soundcloud, Podcasts app or our own site.
Software updates, bugs and issues
Apple has acknowledged a crash detection bug causing ski crashes to be reported as car accidents.
The next iOS 16 update will include two big iPhone fixes.
Your HomePod receives a major update next week.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you want to receive regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter or on Facebook to discuss the latest news from Apple. See you next Saturday, enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay Appley.
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