9 Biggest Surprises at Apple’s ‘Spring Loaded’ Event
Credit: Apple
Most of Apple’s events have a pretty clear theme when it comes to what products are going to be announced, so there are rarely any gigantic surprises.
This time around, however, Apple’s Spring Loaded event was destined from the beginning to be a mixed bag, and while some product announcements like AirTags and the mini-LED iPad Pro were almost certain to happen, Apple threw us a couple of curveballs even with those, along with a few products we weren’t expecting.
Further, not for the first time there were a couple of small things that seemed very likely that didn’t actually come to pass. Read on for 9 things we weren't expecting from Apple's Spring Loaded event.
The M1 iPad Pro
Apple’s new iPad Pro lineup was pretty much everything we expected it to be, with one massive surprise: the move to the exact same M1 chip that Apple debuted in its MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini last fall — and just added to a colourful new iMac lineup.
It’s a bold move and a big departure from the A14X chip that we were all expecting. After all, the M1 chip includes things that seemingly have no place on an iPad Pro, like an SSD storage and PCI Express controllers. Then again, it also includes baked-in support for Thunderbolt — a feature that the new iPad Pro also gained — plus faster NVMe storage architecture.
As surprising as this move was, however, it’s clearly as much about positioning the iPad Pro as anything else. After all, nobody expected the rumoured “A14X” to be a slouch — Apple could have made it just as fast as the M1 chip. However, by putting the actual M1 chip into the iPad Pro, Apple has just made it clear that this is a tablet that can hold its own against the Apple Silicon Mac lineup in every way.
New Apple TV
We’ve been expecting a new Apple TV since 2019 when Apple launched its Apple Arcade game subscription service, but as not only 2019, but also 2020 came and went with nary a mention of the set-top box, we were left assuming that Apple had put it on the back burner.
Then there were the rumours that Apple was working on two new Apple TV models, followed by more rumours of a total redesign for the set-top box, both of which seemed to throw cold water on last year’s reports of an impending A12X model.
So, when Apple finally did unveil a new Apple TV 4K today it came right out of left field after so many missed opportunities for the set-top box.
It’s a modest but welcome improvement for a device that hasn’t seen a refresh since 2017, bumping the internals up to offer high frame rate HDR videos along with better AirPlay 2 support to line up with the iPhone 12’s video recording capabilities.
New Apple TV Remote
Perhaps even more surprising than the announcement of the new Apple TV 4K on its own was the revelation that Apple had designed a whole new Siri Remote — and managed to do so without any detailed leaks slipping out.
Granted, we had seen evidence that Apple was working on a new remote, but with no information beyond its mere existence, it was also easily confused with an Apple-designed remote for cable providers.
Not even the most connected leakers managed to get a glimpse of what was actually coming, which was a remote that hearkens back to the one-piece aluminum design of the earlier remote that accompanied the second- and third-generation Apple TVs, while adding a whole new series of controls that include not only a five-way, touch-enabled click pad, but also a circular gesture control for navigation that’s reminiscent of the classic iPods.
A Purple iPhone 12
Although we'd been hearing rumours of new seasonal iPhone cases on the horizon, we weren't expecting Apple to add an entirely new colour to its iPhone 12 lineup.
After all, with the exception of the special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone releases, which were obviously a unique category in their own right, Apple has never added a totally new iPhone colour in the middle of its product cycle.
In fact, the last time we remember anything else like this happening was with the 2010 iPhone 4, where the white version was delayed by a few months due to manufacturing problems, but that wasn't a surprise, but merely a delay of an already-announced colour.
AirTags Pricing
At this point, we pretty much knew everything there was to know about Apple’s AirTags, so there was only really one big surprise left, and that was the price tag.
Previous reports said that Apple was going to bring them in at $39, which still would have been pretty affordable for what they offered against the competing $29.99 Samsung Galaxy SmartTags and the $34.99 Tile Pro.
However, Apple surprised us by not only dropping a single AirTag for only $29, but also announcing that you’ll be able to buy them in four-packs for $99, bringing the price down to $24.75 per tag.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all sunshine and daisies, as the standard AirTag won’t include any way of attaching it to your items. Third-party accessory makers will almost certainly fill those gaps, but that’s still going to be an added cost. Meanwhile, however, the only option to get an AirTag with a key or luggage attachment is to spring for the staggeringly expensive Hermès collection, which starts at $299 for a “Bag Charm” and goes all the way up to $449 for a Luggage Tag.
Colourful iMacs
Apple almost managed to keep this one under its sleeve, but despite a leak back in February by Jon Prosser, we still weren’t expecting Apple’s new colourful iMacs to arrive this soon.
After all, while Apple was almost certainly working on M1 iMacs, Prosser provided the only evidence of the new design and colours, and his sources said that they were only in the early prototype stages.
In fact, we’d ruled out their appearance at this month’s event entirely until reports of dwindling 21.5-inch iMac stock and a very recent tweet from the enigmatic leaker @l0vetodream hinted at the possibility of their arrival, but even then it seemed like a long shot.
A White Magic Keyboard
It’s a small thing that got only a passing mention during today’s event, but the release of a white Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro (and iPad Air 4) was also an interesting surprise, and something that nobody had previously predicted.
Although Apple’s Smart Keyboard Cover was available in several fun colours, the Magic Keyboard came only in basic black. The addition of a white version — and only a white version — is actually somewhat unusual. We’ll have to wait and see how hard it will be to keep clean.
No iPad mini 6
With over two years since its last update, Apple’s iPad mini is once again on its way to becoming the company’s most-neglected product — especially now that the Apple TV 4K has just gotten a much-needed refresh.
While rumours of a new iPad mini have been confusing and contradictory, we’ve been assuming that’s because Apple was actually working on two different approaches, with one of them being a lower-end refresh that will keep the same design and simply bump the screen size up slightly. While there have been fewer reports of the smaller tablet’s appearance, when leaked photos showed a new iPad mini dummy casing alongside the new iPad Pro, it seemed probable that it would be announced during the same event.
Obviously, that hasn’t happened, although it doesn’t rule out the possibility of a quieter announcement by press release only in the next few weeks, as if this refresh is what we think it is, it’s not something Apple is going to see any need to show off at an event anyway.
No Apple Pencil
In another recent rumour that missed the target entirely, Apple also had nothing at all to say about a new Apple Pencil. Leaked photos had shown a glossy new design for Apple’s stylus, although they didn’t really offer up much more about what new features it would offer.
However, even though Apple highlighted the current Apple Pencil alongside the new iPad Pro lineup, there was no indication that it’s even getting a minor redesign, much less new touch gestures and other features. If Apple does have a new Apple Pencil in the works, it’s likely a way off; since the company is unlikely to announce it on its own, we aren’t likely going to see anything until the next iPad update, and in the past the new Apple Pencils have always debuted alongside the iPad Pro.