*Update: Yeah, turns out the Mac Studio and Studio Display did debut at the Apple March event, and there was nary a MacBook or M2 to be seen. More to come, but enjoy how wrong I turn out to be in this very declarative opinion piece. Kudos to Luke Miani for getting the scoop on this one.*
There is a lot of speculation flying right now about what Apple products we're going to see launch at this week's Apple March Event, largely because Apple is about as leaky as a graphene sieve. At this point, pretty much any speculation from someone on Twitter is about as valid as any one else's speculation.
Really, nobody has any real data on anything, and just when you think you've got a good idea that the Apple M1X chip is coming, Apple throws the Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max at you instead. And trust us, we've been as off on our Apple speculation as anyone, so we're not ones to throw stones in Gorilla glass houses.
With the recent rumors that a Mac Studio workstation and a Mac Studio Display professional-grade monitor is on the way, there's naturally going to be speculation about when we're going to see it, and with the Apple March event this week, we're bound to see expectations rise for the debut of a new workstation PC from Apple, along with its rumored 7K professional display.
We definitely understand the excitement, but an announcement on pro gear this week isn't going to happen, and it would honestly be a major misstep on Apple's part to do so.
- Follow along live: Apple March Event live blog
The Apple March event is going to be consumer focused
Every indication we've gotten in the past month is pointing to a couple of major releases from Apple.
First, we're expecting to see a new iPhone SE 3 with 5G announced at the event, which will be a major announcement in itself. Unlike the flagship iPhone lineup, the iPhone SE is positioned for the more budget-friendly consumer side of the market, and it is expected to introduce some important new technology to the lower-end iPhones, so it won't be something mentioned in passing.
Next up, we have the iPad Air 5, which is also expected to be revealed at this week's event. Unlike the iPad Pro, the iPad Air is also a lower-specced device that is much more geared toward the budget-conscious consumer. We might even see the iPad Air get the M1 chip, which would be a very big deal for the popular tablet.
The mobile half of the event won't leave a whole lot of time for what is expected to be a major reveal of the new Apple M2 chip along with as many as four new Mac devices: the MacBook Pro 13-inch (2022), the MacBook Air (2022), the Mac Mini (2022), and the iMac 27-inch (2022).
Just detailing the new features of the M2 chip will take time, not to mention all of the new devices that it could be powering. Some existing devices, like the 24-inch iMac and Mac Mini (M1, 2020), might also get upgraded silicon, including the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Those announcements, if they happen, will eat up the majority of the event most likely, which doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else.
The common thread for all of these products is that they are all consumer-facing products, with a MacBook Pro 13-inch being the most professionally-oriented device out of the lot. Dropping a Mac Studio workstation along with a Mac Studio Display simply doesn't fit the tenor of this event.
WWDC 2022 is right around the corner and will probably be an in-person event
Another thing to consider is that we aren't that far out from WWDC 2022, which usually takes place in June and is likely to be an in-person event for the first time in two years.
This is Apple's major developer's conference. The week-long event is full of professional panels, announcements about Xcode and Swift, and new OS features that Mac and iOS developers care about.
Heck, out of the entire week, only the first day of the event is open to the press, and that is also when Apple has announced major new professional-grade workstation equipment.
Now, the Mac Studio is expected to be a cross between the Mac Pro and the Mac Mini, so it's probably not going to be the kind of performance (and price) monster that the Mac Pro was, but it's still not going to be something that any regular customer is going to have any interest in buying.
The Mac Pro was announced in 2019 at WWDC, as was its accompanying Pro Display XDR. Given the past two years, giving developers at Apple's first in-person WWDC something new to get excited about makes far more sense than announcing a major new workstation PC for professionals at a consumer product event – especially when that workstation will be way out of the price range of just about everyone watching the event.
Would we even want to hear about the Mac Studio this week?
If Apple were to announce a Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display at this week's event, it can only take away from the buzz generated by the event.
Apple wants everyone to be talking about the products that they announce during the event, but the more products you announce, the more the news gets saturated by Apple products, diluting the impact of any one announcement.
Typically, Apple doesn't even announce computing and mobile devices together in the same event, so already this week's event is going to be very crowded. Tech journalists and fans alike are only going to have so much bandwidth for Apple talk coming out of this event, and the schedule is already looking to be full up. Some things are even going to have to be left out of the discussion just because there isn't time for it all.
Given that, why would Apple want to announce a major new professional workstation? If it were announced it is almost guaranteed to be the thing everyone chooses not to talk about in favor of a new iPhone or a new MacBook Air or even the possible reveal of Apple's AR/VR headset, Apple Glasses.
Announcing a Mac Studio now simply does a disservice to the Mac Studio, and with WWDC right around the corner where the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display can have their day in the sun, announcing them this week simply makes no sense whatsoever.
- Check out the best MacBook and Macs ahead of this week's event
