What you need to know
- Apple's 'Peek Performance' March event will take place later today.
- The Apple store has gone offline ahead of the event, as is commonplace.
- The company is expected to unveil an updated iPhone SE as well as new iPad and Mac models.
Ahead of today's 'Peek Performance' media event, Apple has taken down its online store. The company is expected to unveil a slew of new products including a third-generation iPhone SE, an updated iPad Air, and possibly new Mac models and peripherals.
Online store downtime is customary on the day of an Apple event with the usual holding screen being presented when clicking any links to buy products.
You can still access Apple's site, but clicking on any buy links will take you to the usual holding screen that says:
We're making updates to the Apple Store. Check back soon.
Apple's 2022 iPhone SE is expected to be one of the products shown off today. It's slated to gain 5G connectivity for the first time alongside an upgraded chip. Design-wise, we expect the phone to look mostly like its predecessor.
Rumors suggest a similar story for the iPad Air 5 with the focus on internal upgrades rather than a new design. Apple's mid-range iPad is likely to get 5G connectivity, Center Stage camera technology, and a processor boost with some last-minute reports suggesting it may even get the M1 chip found in the current iPad Pro.
Things may get more interesting on the Mac side of things where less is known about Apple's plans. Rumors suggest an all-new 'Mac Studio and external display' are in the offing. The Mac Studio is described by Bloomberg's usually-reliable Mark Gurman as a "smaller Mac Pro/more powerful Mac mini" with the monitor reportedly being powered by an A-Series chip suggesting more than just a dumb screen.
Apple's 'Peek Performance' event will take place at 10 am PT/ 1 pm ET on Tuesday, March 8 with live streamign available on Apple's site, YouTube channel, and the Apple TV app. Some or all of the products unveiled may be available to pre-order upon completion of the event when the store comes back online.
