What Apple Is Hinting At With Its March 8 Event's 'Peek Performance' Tagline

Apple confirmed Wednesday that its first hardware launch event of the year will be held on March 8. The event goes by the tagline "Peek Performance" and is being held virtually yet again.

Bloomberg columnist and Apple specialist Mark Gurman in his sneak-peek ahead of the event said this will likely be the first of the many events Apple could be lining up for the year.

Peeking Into ‘Peek Performance: The phrase clearly suggests Apple devices may be in for a speed overhaul, which could cover 5G and faster main processors on the new iPhone, iPad and Mac, Gurman said. The usage of the word "peek" instead of "peak" may be because the company is previewing the "long-in-the-works" iMac Pro or Mac Pro with variations of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, he added.

Gurman expects the following products to be unveiled at the March 8 event:

• 5G-enabled third-gen iPhone SE with a faster processor and improved cameras
• New iPad Air with optional 5G support, A15 chip and Center Stage for FaceTime Camera
• At least one new Mac with an Apple chip.
• A fourth "wild card" reveal, which could an iMac Pro with a next-gen monitor or a smaller Mac Pro

Related Link: Apple Analyst: Russian Sales Ban Signals Industrywide Trend

Broader Mac Lineup Refresh In The Cards: Apple has been testing multiple Macs with a new chip in recent weeks, including an eight-core CPU and 10-core GPU, the columnist said. The testing is done on Macs running on macOS 12.3, which is due to be released in the coming weeks, he added.

Gurman expects the macOS 12.4 as well as macOS 13 to be released in June at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

Macs with M2 and M1 Pro/Max chips are likely to be launched in the first-half of 2022, Gurman said. This could be Mac minis, with M2 and/or M1 Pro chips, iMac Pros with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, and a MacBook Pro with a M2 chip, the Bloomberg reporter noted.

The company will likely be launching new Macs both at this event and in the May-June timeframe, Gurman said.

"I don't believe the new iMac Pro or Mac Pro are ready to go on sale imminently, but perhaps Apple wants to preview at least one of those machines ahead of a release a little later this year," the columnist said.

Related Link: Here's How Apple Shareholders Voted In Cupertino's Annual Meeting