Apple's Spring Loaded event

After the Apple internet news sphere was burned last month for assuming a March event was imminent, Siri leaked—and then Apple confirmed—that an April event was suddenly just a week away. The April 20th event is appropriately called 'Spring Loaded' and should feature a handful of rumored-for-some-time-now products.

I'm expecting to see updated A14X toting iPads Pro, with at least the 12.9" device adopting miniLED display technology—long rumored and a safe bet. AirTags have also been rumored for some time. As the US approaches a summer that looks to be less restrictive than 2020's, now feels like the most appropriate time in our post-COVID world for them. The launch of the FindMy network last week was the last piece of evidence I needed to move this announcement into my expected column.

There's been a handful of rumors around the iPad Mini that I'm not as confident about. Adjacent but less significant iPad updates is a possibility—perhaps to the Mini and/or base level iPad. I'm also on the fence about updates to the iMac. We're almost halfway through the 2 year Apple Silicon transition period, so we've got to see new iMacs sooner than later. The iMac wouldn't normally headline its own event but participating in a chorus of announcements sounds spot on for it.

Beyond that, there's rumors of updated AirPods but I'm not expecting much here. It feels too soon for AirPods Pro 2. AirPods 2 were announced over two years ago, however. If any AirPods show up it'll be their successor, the AirPods 3.

In the same could-go-either-way bucket is the Apple TV. The last update was released in September 2017, so this thing is obviously overdue for some attention. There's rumors a substantial update is coming that could change the product offering. Maybe it shows up on the 20th. Maybe Apple just gives the Apple TV a small refresh to keep it current. Maybe neither of those happens. Personally, I don't think Apple knows what it wants to do with that device, so I have trouble predicting that their plans are.

If I add up the safe bets, toss in one of the less certain items, and add a small surprise (like accessories), that adds up to a short event—something like what we saw last Fall for iPad, Apple Watch, and services-related updates. That feels like the right scale for an event that's just two months before WWDC.

Mark Gurman's HomePod rumors

I wanted to briefly touch on this because the recent rumors from Bloomberg's always in-the-know Mark Gurman around HomePod are a bit wild. The first of which is described as follows.

Such a device would combine an iPad with a HomePod speaker and also include a camera for video chat. Apple has explored connecting the iPad to the speaker with a robotic arm that can move to follow a user around a room, similar to Amazon’s latest Echo Show gadget.

The description of it sounds very much like a prototype—an iPad connected to a robotic arm—but a device reminiscent of the iMac G4 that articulates with the personality of the Pixar logo lamp could be rather charming.

Jokes aside, a device like this is not a question of if but when, assuming Apple wants to stay in the home assistant equipped smart speaker market. The rest of the competition offers devices with screens, so Apple needs to play catch up here to be relevant.

The second HomePod-ish related rumor is some kind of souped up HomePod/Apple TV hybrid. Now this thing sounds novel—Gurman's description below.

The company is working on a product that would combine an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker and include a camera for video conferencing through a connected TV and other smart-home functions, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

The device’s other capabilities would include standard Apple TV box functions like watching video and gaming plus smart speaker uses such as playing music and using Apple’s Siri digital assistant.

A smart soundbar? It's not at all a product I would have expected but the more I think about it the more sense it makes. The original HomePod proved that Apple can do quality sound in a home setting. The Apple TV is already a mature smart TV accessory. Mashing them up and adding a few extra features would deliver a lot of value—good sound for TV entertainment, an AirPlay compatible speaker, a solid streaming box, a serviceable home assistant, and a centralized video call device that leverages the TV screen. Naturally this device would also be able to serve as a home hub to connect various HomeKit compatible accessories to. I think there's something here and am hoping this rumor has legs.

Ming-Chi Kuo's iPhone 14 rumors

Ming-Chi Kuo, the patron saint of iPhone supply chain leaks, is already talking about the iPhone 14. The notable bits include a much improved 48 megapixel camera that sounds like it will be doing some pixel binning, a farewell to the iPhone Mini, and device size parity—6.1" and 6.7"—between the Pro and non-Pro offerings.

Ignoring how silly it is to talk next year's iPhone when this year's device is still five months away, these are uncontroversial projections. Apple's been covering a lot of ground with its camera updates year over year. The remaining areas of improvement are more megapixels and better optical zoom.

It will be sad to see the iPhone Mini go so soon after it was introduced but the sales numbers haven't been compelling, so I can't fault Apple for listening to the market. With the Mini out of the way, that allows them to simplify the offering—two sizes and two variants.