Apple’s Spring Loaded event was jam-packed with product announcements, from a revamped iMac to an iPad Pro with M1 chip. Yet, there was far more rumored than what we actually saw at Apple’s first show of 2021.
Indeed, if you believed the leakers and analysts, there were even more products on the cards for the April event. A whole heap of them never made it out of the blocks, though, and are either not ready or were never coming in the first place. To find out what we missed out on, here is everything Apple did not announce at the Spring Loaded show.
27-inch iMac
The biggest news from the Spring Loaded event was the huge iMac redesign. But Apple only showcased the 24-inch model (previously the 21.5-inch version), and the 27-inch iMac was totally absent from the show. In fact, you can still buy it from Apple’s website, complete with the old Intel processor, thick bezels, and puny 720p webcam. That feels weird for what is meant to be a top-of-the-line computer.
The likelihood is that Apple is going to announce the 27-inch iMac will get the same treatment as its 24-inch sibling, just at a later date. It could be that Apple has not yet been able to secure enough of the larger displays in time, or perhaps there has been some other hold-up in the supply chain. Either way, we cannot imagine it will be long before this too is updated.
iOS 14.5
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Usually, the only time Apple talks about its operating systems in any great detail is at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. Yet, iOS 14.5 felt a little different, mainly because it was widely expected to be the version that launched Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature that has been causing so much consternation among advertising agencies and data brokers.
In the end, Apple stayed true to form and saved iOS 14.5 for another day. We would not be at all surprised to see the company put out a press release accompanying the launch of App Tracking Transparency, but clearly, Apple felt it did not warrant any stage time at its Spring Loaded event.
Apple Pencil 3
With an important iPad Pro update at the Spring Loaded event, attention naturally turned toward the Apple Pencil. It has been almost three years since the second-generation model launched — the same interval that elapsed between the first and second-gen versions — so this year would seem to be the right time for a refresh.
That might still prove to be correct, but we will have to wait a little longer to see it. While the Apple Pencil update was absent from Apple’s spring show, perhaps November is a stronger bet, as this is when it was revamped in both 2015 and 2018.
iPad mini
Apple’s smallest iPad seemed like a sure bet for the Spring Loaded event. It has been two years since its last update, which is not that long on the surface. Yet, when you compare the iPad Mini to the iPad Pro and iPad Air, with their slimline bezels and their lack of a Home button, the iPad Mini starts to look a little old hat.
The suspicions that it would get a new look were bolstered by Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo, both well-respected Apple analysts, who outlined their beliefs that Apple was working to thin the bezels on the iPad Mini. Sadly, it looks like we will have to wait a little longer to see that become a reality.
AirPods 3
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If you are in the market for the best true wireless earbuds, Apple’s AirPods Pro should be near the top of your list. Yet all their excellent features highlight exactly what the regular AirPods are missing. Rumor had it Apple was going to bring the AirPods’ design much closer to that of their Pro sibling, giving them the same stubby, compact form.
If that is indeed the case, Apple is apparently not ready to show the world just yet, as there was no sign of AirPods at the Spring Loaded event. Keep an eye on WWDC in June, or perhaps the iPhone event in September.
