Apple Spring Loaded: All the news from the big event

This year’s first Apple Event has just taken place, and plenty of exciting new products have been unveiled. Here’s the full summary of all the action.

The Apple Spring Loaded event took place on April 20, starting at 6pm UK time (that’s 10am local time in California). 

You can livestream the event on Apple’s official website, on YouTube, or on an Apple TV device.

Event Announcements

• Apple Card Family is introduced, allowing all users of the card to contribute to their credit history. Pay limits are introduced so that children can use the credit card.
• Apple Podcasts Subscriptions has been launched, allowing for ad-free listening and early access for certain podcasts.
• The iPhone 12 has received a new purple colour option.
• AirTag has finally been announced! After months if not years of rumours, the locating device has arrived. You simply attach the keyring-like device to your item so you can quickly locate it if misplaced. A four-pack costs $99, and will be available from April 30.

• The new generation of Apple TV4K, running on the A12 Bionic chip, now supports high frame rate HDR content. The Siri remote has been completely redesigned to boot. The starting price is $179.
• As expected, the Apple Mac has been relaunched with the brand’s proprietary M1 silicon chip. The desktop has been completely redesigned for a very attractive slim look, and will be available in seven different colours. It also boasts the best camera and best audio ever in a Mac — all for a starting price of $1299.

• The iPad Pro will now boast a new chip too — not the A14 Bionic that was rumoured, but the more powerful M1 chip, the same as that in the iMac — “the fastest device of its kind, and it’s not even close”. It’s also got a new and exclusive 12-megapixel 120-degree ultra wide camera than can intelligently detect people in the field of view and pan accordingly. The LiquidRetina XDR display can deliver 1600 nits maximum brightness, with extreme dynamic range. As for price, the 11-inch version starts from $799, while the 12.9-inch variant will start from $1,099.

Pre-Launch Rumours

There’s been nothing else announced in advance, so we don’t know for sure which new products will be unveiled. However, we can take a good guess —and this is what we think could be on the cards…

Firstly, it’s likely that we see a new and revamped iPad Pro. Likely changes include upgraded chipsets (to the same A14 Bionic that’s on the iPhone 12), and the introduction of 5G mobile data connectivity. But perhaps most exciting of all is that rumour that Apple will employ a Mini LED display for the first time with this product, for a truly next-gen screen.

Additionally, we could also see the launch of the first iMac to run on Apple’s own M1 silicon chip, finally replacing the Intel processors that the brand had long employed. From what we’ve heard, the relaunched desktop could be available in a range of appealing colours.

At last, we’re also hoping to see Apple launch AirTags. Long-rumoured, these smart tracking devices which are designed to be fitted to bags, wallets, and other valuables, may see the light of day at the Spring Loaded event, boasting Ultra Wideband (UWB) for pinpoint accurate location ability.

What else? Well, AirPods and Apple TV are long overdue updates, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see both of these products get a facelift. And beyond physical products, there’s a rumour that Apple will launch a Podcasts Plus premium subscription service as another weapon in its growing entertainment arsenal.