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Looking Back at WWDC Hardware Announcements: HomePod, Mac Pro, and More
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I don't see it that way.
That is like saying the MacBook product line wasn't discontinued with the Early 2015 MacBook, because Apple is still selling the MBP and MBA or that the iMac Pro product line wasn't discontinued because Apple still sells the iMac.
It's technically true that the (full size) HomePod and iMac Pro were discontinued - one has been "replaced" with a (cheaper) "mini" version, the other has been made redundant by the (generally cheaper & more flexible) Mac Studio/Studio display combo, but those are clearly not a continuation of the original "line".
...but I don't see the relevance of that to the topic of "what gets announced at the WWDC keynote". Do Apple hire a psychic and only launch hardware at WWDC if it's never going to be updated and going to be abandoned without a direct replacement a few years down the line?
Actually, the Mac Pro Trashcan was also announced at a WWDC, never got an update (I wouldn't count dropping the base model and shunting the other models down an "update") and replaced with a totally different concept in all but name - the 2019 Mac Pro which in turn might shortly get replaced with something completely different... so that psychic is a pretty good one!
Whatever hardware gets announced - or not - it is a dead cert that the next MacOS, iOS and iPadOS will get significant time... although what MacOS users with any sense are dying to hear is "we're not doing MacOS 13 until we've fixed all of the outstanding issues with Monterey".
First, just to nitpick, there's the World Wide Developers Conference which will be a series of virtual seminars for developers and (obviously) focusses on software or any implications of new hardware for developers, then there's the WWDC keynote that everybody here gets all in a bunch about every year - which is a big media jamboree at which Apple can announce anything that is ready to announce - hardware, software, services, new watch bands...
Apple has two events that you can set your watch by - the WWDC keynote (sometimes just software, sometimes not - anything goes) and the annual iPhone launch in September (which is the most likely place to see new announcements about services and consumer products, Apple Music, Apple TV+, the Watch etc.)
Then there's often a Mac launch in October/November (popular time for MacBook Pros) and an iPad and/or Mac launch in March. They're a bit less predictable. Frankly, this year - between the pandemic, supply shortages and the Apple Silicon transition - all bets are off.
The same could be said about the MacBook and MBA, but I don't think that people consider the MacBook product line continuing after the Early 2015 MB was discontinued, while the MBA continued to be sold.
It was just an observation, and I thought it was interesting and ironic that the two big HW product lines that was announcement at the 2017 WWDC ended up being discontinued, especially since HW announcements at the WWDC isn't as common as other Apple events.
I don't know, what do you think?
But again, if Apple used psychic, they were pretty off with the 2015 iPhone 6s event, which 3D Touch was the big selling point, only abandoning it a few years later. Also during that event, they launched the ATV4 and tvOS, which had the horrible Siri Remote requirement for apps and ridiculously tiny app static storage size of 200MB, both Apple walked back not too long after due to how restrictive it was for developers.
If there was any clairvoyants being used for the following year, 2016 "hello again" event, they should be fired, as that introduced the 2016 MBP, which we all know how that ended up.
Apple's psychics may have been more accurate for many other things, such as the success of the iPhone in general, and the success of AS. Probably not AirPower though....
...but, I don't really see the relevance of psychic to the topic of "what gets announced at the WWDC keynote".
I mean I know that but I don’t care about hardware you might be all hardware but I’m all software just like tons of others. I was simply saying that I’m into the software part. Not The Hardware Part. Duh.
I think we all need to settle on what we consider "announce" to mean. I fully expect that Apple will at least make some mention of a couple future pieces of hardware during the keynote at WWDC, Whether that will be something very generic and short to the point, such as a quick mention of the more powerful M2 chip on the horizon and some new macs that would benefit from the updated M2 chip, maybe so.
On the other hand if we are talking about hands on demonstration of a new Mac Pro or MBA, then I would say that is probably less likely to happen.
On the other hand if we are talking about hands on demonstration of a new Mac Pro or MBA, then I would say that is probably less likely to happen.
I would consider the iPhone Mini and the iPhone in the same product line, it is pretty much a difference in size. Besides the battery and the obvious screen size difference, the features are identical and the prices are similar. So with the rumored iPhone 14, Apple is just dropping a size from the product line up.
The HomePod and HomePod Mini are very different devices, and not just a smaller size, but also in design, features, and definitely price ($349 at launch for the HomePod, and $99 for the Mini). With the rumors of an updated HomePod making a return, this would bring back that product line, if it happens, of course.
Now, when it comes to the iPhone, if Apple discontinued the non-Pro version of the iPhone along with the Mini, then I would consider that ending the regular iPhone product line. If Apple dropped the SE3 without a replacement, then I would consider that ending the iPhone SE product line.
Just my opinion....
With the exception of the Mac pro, Apple has never introduced a processor without introducing a product plan to launch alongside it within the next month or so of the Keynote.
Apple didn’t introduce the A15 six months before putting it in the iPhone 13.
Even back to this topic at hand, Apple didn’t even introduce the M1 until The day that the first three products introduced with it went on sale.
They won’t change this at all, it would be of no benefit to them.
Apple will introduce the M2 the day they have a product to stick it in that’s ready to ship.
There is a 0% chance they say “here’s our M2 chip, it’s got 20% better performance, 50% better efficiencies and 40% better graphics or whatever, you’ll see it in the MacBook Air… This fall.”
Not how it’s ever worked. Only exception is the MacPro