Apple today announced that it will be holding its first event of 2022 on Tuesday, March 8 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.
As with the 2021 events, Apple's first event of 2022 will continue to be a digital-only gathering with no members of the media invited to attend in person due to the ongoing public health crisis.
We've already heard quite a few rumors about what we can expect to see at the March 8 event. Apple is expected to announce the next-generation version of the iPhone SE, a revamped iPad Air, and at least one Mac with an Apple silicon chip, which could be the Mac mini, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, or both.
Peek performance. March 8th. See you there. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/cEKMq7BuBh — Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) March 2, 2022
The third-generation iPhone SE will look similar to the second-generation model available now, and no design changes are expected. It will continue to feature thick bezels and a Touch ID Home button, but it will include an updated A-series chip, likely the A15, and faster 5G connectivity. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said it will be Apple's most affordable 5G iPhone.
Apple isn't going to make any design changes to the next-generation iPad Air either, but it too will get a faster chip and 5G connectivity. It could also be updated with a new FaceTime camera that supports Center Stage, the feature that keeps you in frame even as you move around the room.
As for Macs, Apple is rumored to be planning to release a higher-end version of the Mac mini with an overhauled design and M1 Pro and M1 Max chips. The new Mac mini will replace the current Intel Mac mini options, and it could come at Apple's March event.
The final device rumored for March 8 is an updated version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is said to be equipped with an M2 chip, the successor to the M1 chip. The MacBook Pro will look identical to the current 13-inch model, and it will be a lower-end version of the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that have M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
The M2 chip will feature the same 8-core CPU as the M1, but speed and efficiency improvements are expected, as are GPU improvements. Rumors suggest the M2 chip will be available in 9 and 10-core GPU options, up from the 7 and 8-core GPU options available with the original M1 chip.
Apple plans to stream the event live on its website and in the Apple TV app when it kicks off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 8. For those unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage both on MacRumors.com and through the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
