[imagesource: Reuters]

Apple’s first event of 2022, titled ‘Peek Performance’, was another example of why the brand is so loved right around the world.

To the already impressive and extensive Apple portfolio, we can now add an updated iPhone SE, the powerful Mac Studio, the Mac Studio Display, and an upgraded iPad Air.

Apple also revealed that there are now new shades of earthy green available for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, with CEO Tim Cook called  “bold” and “sophisticated”.

Not sure we need to bother much with that so let’s laser in on the new iPhone SE. Here’s CNET:

Apple has upgraded the iPhone SE to use the A15 Bionic, the same chip that’s in the iPhone 13, as well as 5G.

It retains the home button and Touch ID, and has better battery life and an improved camera system thanks to the more powerful computational capabilities offered by the chip.

Improved battery life, speed, and camera system – three wins in my book.

US pricing starts from $429 and preorders there start this Friday, with delivery from March 18.

We will have to wait a little longer until it reaches our shores. Keep an eye on Digicape, South Africa’s largest independent Apple retailer, for updates on when we can get in the game and what it will cost us.

Next, the iPad Air:

The all-new iPad Air is the first upgrade to the Air lineup since 2020, which brings Apple’s powerful M1 chip, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on the front, 5G connectivity and more, all in a similar design to the fourth-gen iPad Air.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said that “with the breakthrough M1 chip, Ultra Wide front camera with Centre Stage, and ultra-fast 5G, iPad Air is now more powerful, more capable, and simply more fun than ever.”

For the creatives out there, Mac Studio is a very exciting development. Mashable below:

There’s a new desktop on the block and it’s called the Mac Studio. Positioned between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro, the Mac Studio looks like a taller version of the Mac mini, but it comes equipped with M1 Max or the new M1 Ultra chip which Mashable’s Stan Schroeder describes as “essentially two M1 Max chips rolled into one,” making it Apple’s most powerful chip.

The Mac Studio is built for professionals which explains its impressive connectivity. In the back it has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10GB Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack, and two more USB-C ports, and an SD card slot in the front. The Mac Studio also has built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0

Look, this one is going to set you back. US pricing starts from $1 999, or $3 999 if you opt for the new M1 Ultra chip.

But it’s a beast, and you deserve nice things, and you can knock a bit off the sales price when you trade in your older Apple goodies with Digicape.

They accept most brands of smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches as well as Apple TVs, laptops and desktop computers. You can use the value of the trade-ins as a discount on a new device or as credit to use later.

Then there’s Apple’s Studio Display:

Described as a perfect complement to the Mac Studio, Apple also announced its new Studio Display. It has a 27-inch screen, 5K resolution, 600 nits of brightness, and over a billion colors.

The display has its own A13 chip which means it offers advanced video/audio quality and features Center Stage even when not used with the Mac Studio. Studio Display has three USB-C ports, a Thunderbolt port, and can connect to any other Mac.

Other notable tidbits included the fact that iOS 15.4 will drop next week, which will include a mask-friendly Face ID, Apple’s new Tap to Pay feature, a new safety feature for AirTags, 36 new emojis, and other improvements.

I’m not sure I would call new emojis an improvement, as they slowly wreck our use of the English language, but that’s just me being a grouch.

[sources:cnet&mashable]