It can be heavy for long - time Apple devotee to truly apprize just how vainglorious the company has become . The ikon of the party as a small scrappy underdog fighting against corporate heavyweight has been a part of its culture and charm since the beginning . But make no mistake : Appleisthe corporate hulk . Its worth is just barely under 3trilliondollars and the company ’s products and help give well over a billion user .
So when Apple does something , even something absolutely expected like “ secrete a Modern iPhone , ” it ’s a fully grown deal . It ’s not just of interest to a comparatively small group of diehard Apple partizan . It can move entire markets . And Apple did alotof somethings this year , some bear , some surprising , and some that will leave a persistent impact .
Here ’s a brief overview of Apple ’s eventful 2021 , with notes about the import ( or lack thereof ) of each event .
January-March: A very slow first quarter
The first few months of 2021 were quite tiresome , with a letup that stretched through March . There were iOS 14 and macOS 11 update , a few second - season releases of Apple TV+ prove , and a smattering of novel Apple Arcade games , but the first three months of 2021 were very thin on new products or announcements .
April: Fixing Apple Arcade
In early April , Apple change the principle of Apple Arcadefor the better . In a major expansion add over 30 games , Apple eased off on its anterior prescript that Arcade games have to be titles that have never seem in the App Store before . Now , you ’ll see frequent Apple Arcade releases of App Store classic likeCrossy RoadorTiny Wings , with a “ + ” added on the end to denote the Apple Arcade version .
Apple Arcade still is n’t all it could be , but bring App Store classic to the service , free of advertising or in - app purchases , was a big stone’s throw in the correct focal point .
April: “Spring Loaded” event
Apple
In tardy April , Apple withstand a Spring Loaded event where it uncover several fresh products along with the ability to share Apple Card accounts with family members . Here are the product Apple launched during theonline tonic :
AirTag
The first product to plunge from this consequence was the AirTag , Apple ’s own object - trailing accessory . At $ 29 for one or $ 99 for four , it ’s price comparably to similar gamey - ending products from Tile . The bad advantage is that you need no special software . It integrates with Apple ’s chance My app and Io , soeveryiPhone or iPad or Mac is a likely point - viewfinder for you . AirTags employ BlueTooth but also Ultra Wideband for more precise location with iPhones that have a U1 chip ( iPhone 11 and later ) .
Apple AirTag 4 pack
Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)
Nobody reallyneededa new Apple TV 4 K , and indeed the very modest improvements to the new example are not deserving upgrade for . But Apple gave the riotous Siri Remote acompleteoverhaul , which was long delinquent . It ’s great now , and worth pick up if you have the previous Apple TV 4K.
24-inch M1 iMac
The unexampled 24 - inch iMac was not the first Cartesian product with Apple ’s spicy new M1 chip , but it was the first to make a assertion . Where the MacBook Air , 13 - inch MacBook Pro , and Mac miniskirt released in 2020 keep the old designs with the Intel chip replaced by an M1 , the 24 - column inch iMac convey hopeful new color , an ultra - slip figure , smaller bezels , and a wireless keyboard with Touch ID . It was a real tone forward for the iMac and Apple silicon , and We ’re excited to see what Apple comes up with for a gravid reading ( rumoredto be 27 - 30 inches , and descend in 2022 ) .
24-inch iMac (2021)
M1 iPad Pro
The M1 is , for lack of a better description , precisely what we would have expected from an A14X central processing unit if Apple would have made one . So it ’s no surprise that Apple issue a young iPad Pro ( in both 11 and 12.9 - inch size ) with the M1 inwardly . Beyond the new faster processor , these iPads added a new “ Liquid Retina XDR ” video display for splendid HDR capabilities in the 12.9 - in model , a new 12MP ultra - all-embracing front camera with Center Stage panning , and a humongous 2 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM in the higher memory board capacitance .
12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021)
June: Worldwide Developers Conference
June is when Apple concord its Worldwide Developers Conference , where it unveil the new operating system coming in the fall , and often a new product or two as well . Despite rumour leading up to the event , there werenonew ironware intersection annunciate this class . Instead , the focus ofthis year ’s keynotewas strictly on the new version of iOS , iPadOS , macOS , and watchOS .
iOS 15
As with just about every new iOS firing , iOS 15is full of new features freehanded and small . The gravid variety are offline Siri support , a dramatic shift in Safari layout , Live Text , fresh sharing features , and Notification Summary and Focus features to minimize notification distractions .
Perhaps the most controversial part of Io 15 would n’t be announced until later . Apple would carry out a feature thatscans look-alike on iPhones for child intimate abuse material ( CSAM ) . Despite the manner it was designed to protect privacy and security , critic erect a fuss over ways they fear the technology could be work in the time to come . Apple unloose the maternal control aspect in theiOS 15.2 update , which is not very controversial ( a parent can opt into having a kid account furnish warnings if photos of nudity are shared in Messages ) , but ultimatelydelayedthe CSAM scanning feature article for iCloud Photos until it can make further adjustments to hopefully quell privacy advocates .
IDG
iPadOS 15
Aside from most of the new technical feature article found in iOS 15,iPadOS 15adds a few things we wish we had last year : widgets on the house concealment , the App Library , and improvements to make multitasking less obtuse and more utilitarian .
macOS 12 Monterey
WithmacOS Monterey ( interpretation 12 ) , Apple added a portion of the same subject - forward feature found in iOS and iPadOS 15 , such as SharePlay and Live Text . The Shortcuts app finally came to macOS , too . Safari get a big redesignthat was quite controversial with long - time Mac users , but Apple eventually walked back most of the major changes while adding some utile feature of speech like pill group that sync between equipment .
The most exciting young lineament is Universal Control , in which you could utilise your keyboard / mouse ( or trackpad ) to move your pointer flat off your Mac video display and onto a nearby iPad or other Mac , and literally haul - and - cliff content between them . Unfortunately , that feature has beendelayed until 2022 , and has yet to appear in any of the macOS and iPadOS betas .
watchOS 8
This yr ’s watchOS update is relatively minor , liken to most . The Breathe app has expanded into Mindfulness and you may nurse digital keys in your Wallet , and there are improvement to several apps , but there ’s no really cock-a-hoop headline new functionality .
September: Apple v. Epic Round 1
The bigApple v. Epic Games caseconcluded too soon in the year , with a ruling issued in early September . Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers pass on down a immense win to Apple . Epic had to yield a $ 6 M fine for violating its App Store agreement ( essentially pay up Apple its revenue share ) , while Apple had to make almost no concessions at all .
The court of law happen that Apple engages in anticompetitive conduct and seems compel to make changes only when impel to by the jurisprudence . But in term of literal changes , the courtroom only compel one small-scale modification to Apple ’s anti - steering policy :
orchard apple tree … is hereby permanently restrained and tell from proscribe developer from including in their apps and their metadata clitoris , extraneous links , or other calls to natural action that lineal customers to purchasing mechanism , in addition to In - App Purchasing and ( ii ) communicating with client through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customer through account registration within the app .
Essentially , Apple will now allow apps to admit a connection during report creation or management to international site , where the app developer could then allow you to make payments or pledge to services . It does n’t have to admit any other payment processing in the App Store , or allow apps to link out to external payment processing at point of cut-rate sale in their apps , or allow other app stores on the iPhone or iPad , or really anything that Epic was fighting for .
Epic Games is appealing the opinion . Apple asked for a stop in implementing the rules change ( which must be in place before the end of 2021 ) , but the court traverse Apple ’s entreaty , call off its gesture for a stay “ fundamentally flawed . ” Apple appealed that conclusion to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals , which then grant Apple the hitch , so Applewon’t have to make any changesuntil its charm for the main case is decide , which could take many twelvemonth .
September “California Streaming” event
While Apple ’s big yearly September event did n’t admit the iPhone in 2020 , Apple return to form in 2021 with a keynote that brought the new iPhones and Apple Watch . There were a duad of new iPads throw in there as well . Here ’s how theonline eventwent down :
iPhone 13
TheiPhone 13was the lead of the show , released in the same four smack as the iPhone 12 before ( mini , regular , Pro , and Pro Max ) . The swelled progress were much - improve bombardment life , a faster processor , and improved cameras . But the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max got evenbettercameras , with a fun young macro instruction photography capacity , as well as 120Hz ProMotion display .
iPhone 13 Pro
iPad (9th generation)
The new base poser iPad has a faster central processing unit ( the A13 ) and double the storage of last year ’s model , while the front camera has been upgraded to Apple ’s 12MP ultrawide camera with Center Stage support . It has n’t undergone substantial design or feature of speech changes in several years now , though , and its historic period is showing .
iPad mini (6th generation)
It took 2.5 yr to get anupdated iPad miniskirt , but the new model is just what we ’ve always want . A speedy A15 processor , larger 8.3 - inch video display with slimmer bezels , and Touch ID in the home clitoris . It ’s basically a shrunken - down iPad Air , which is just what sports fan of this minuscule iPad neediness .
Apple Watch Series 7
Though declare in September , the Apple Watch Series 7 was n’t released until October . This is probably the least - substantial annual update for the Apple Watch ever . It has a bigger exhibit with slimmer bezels , and gets just a piddling bit brilliant , and that ’s about it . The processor is the same , the features are the same , the price is the same . This is the Series 6 with a little chip bigger display .
October: “Unleashed” event
The M1 Macs at the last of 2020 were exciting for their speed , but the total redesign of the 24 - column inch iMac arrive Apple enthusiasts thinking that maybe the Mac is back . If there were any doubts , they were put to roost with the October “ Unleashed ” event , which gave us a MacBook Pro with new chips and almost everything we ever wanted .
MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max
Everyone knew the new 14 - inch and 16 - column inch MacBook Pros were on the way and they still managed to surprise us . Apple launched the newfangled mellow - end versions of the M1 system - on - chip , theM1 Pro and M1 Max , with up to 10 CPU cores ( 8 performance and 2 efficiency ) and a monumental graphics encouragement ( the Pro has up to a 16 - core GPU and the Max has a GPU with up to 32 - cores ) . They also up the memory and dramatically improved the memory bandwidth , and added a battery that hold out a lot longer than comparable prior MacBook Pro model . In a nutshell , Apple delivered perfectly world - class carrying out at a fraction of the power of competing AMD and Intel mathematical product .
But that ’s not all . The new MacBook Pros also return the HDMI port , MagSafe power connexion and South Dakota card time slot , and added more USB - 100 ports . And last but not least , they bugger off a gorgeous new mini - precede backlit exhibit with HDR and ProMotion . Yes , they ’re more expensive , but you get alotfor the price .
14-inch MacBook Pro (2021)
AirPods (3rd generation)
The MacBook Pro was n’t the only fresh new affair at this consequence . The venerableAirPods eventually get an update , with a design very much like the AirPods Pro and nearly all of its feature , other than silicone bakshish and active stochasticity cancelling . They look better , vocalise better , and have much good battery biography .
Apple Polishing Cloth
While not wide publicized , Apple ’s new$19 Polishing Clothbecame something of a meme . It ’s ludicrous . It ’s a simple cleanup cloth , nothing more , price ten times in high spirits than it should be . Naturally , it sell out in record time . You still ca n’t get one till late January .
Looking ahead to 2022
Apple certainly had a skilful year in 2021 . Not every mathematical product was a slam stuff shot – we ca n’t say we were very aroused by the modest improvements in the 2d - gen Apple TV 4 one thousand , 9th - gen iPad , or Apple Watch Series 7 . But the Mac was a standout champion . The new 24 - in iMac breathed life and color into a line that has languished for too long , and the raw MacBook Pros really unleash the potential of Apple ’s homegrown atomic number 14 while right past trip-up . We finally got new AirPods , and they ’re middling good .
service had a decent year , too . It was less about new service offerings and more about the expansion of what Apple already declare oneself . Sharing Apple Card , group workouts on Fitness+ , a cheap Apple Music option ( and fortune more playlists ) , more and better Apple Arcade games , and even Apple TV+ started to shoot its pace with batch of great shows and motion-picture show .
Next year , we seem forward to Apple completing its transition to Apple Silicon in the Mac with the M2 mainframe and its derivatives ( M2 Pro and M2 Max ) . They could show up in a larger , high - performance iMac , a redesigned MacBook Air , and an all Modern Mac Pro . We retrieve we might see a new iPhone SE in the bound , before a new design for the iPhone 14 lineup in the fall . And of course , new computer software and services will reach all Apple ’s customer , not just the ones who can yield to bribe something novel .
But what we ’re most appear forrader to is the prospect of something trulynew . Whether it ’s an AR or VR headset , an Apple Car , or a dramatic new software change .
