It’s the D-day! Apple is officially having its 2022 Spring Event today! 2021 saw the release of some pretty cool Apple products, from the iPhone 13 models to the iPad Mini. And, we can’t wait to see what 2022 brings! Rumors are milling in the air that we may see an iPhone SE 3, or a new Mac Mini. Everything we wanted to see, and couldn’t witness in 2021, may just be unveiled at the event today. And, we’ve curated a collection of ingenious conceptual designs that we WISH Apple launches today! From a 27″ iMac Pro concept to an iPhone Air Flip design with a pro-level camera array – these are the designs that we hope to get to see soon. Which Apple concept are you itching to see in today’s event, and which one do you feel simply won’t make the cut? Let’s start guessing!
1. iPhone Air
Before Apple perfects the iPhone that flips probably like the Motorola Razr, Antonio shows “iPhone Air”, a premium iPhone Flip with an iPhone 13 Pro-like, triple camera module. Next to the flagship-level camera array is the secondary display to show notifications when the iPhone is flipped close. When flipped open, the iPhone has a large, lively display with a punch-hole camera alongside a longer cutout for sensors. The display looks as large as the rumored 8-inches with 144Hz screen refresh rates. This is indicative of Apple’s intention to offer iPhone Flip with a screen that’s larger than on the regular iPhone Pro Max variants. We love the conceptual interpretation of floating rumors in this iPhone Flip design, but the peculiar hinge distinction on the back is a put-off for me.
2. Mac Mini concept
An interesting concept design by Qocept Graphics gives us a purview of the Mac mini design for this year with very subtle modifications on the outside and some major improvements on the inside. The size on this one reduces the footprint a tad with dimensions of 13.5cm in width and length, and a 3cm thickness – making it the thinnest Mac thus far. To provide extra protection to the aluminum body, and a premium overall feel, the Mac mini concept gets a 2cm thin acrylic enclosure. This also raises the machine slightly above the work surface for active dissipation of heat.
3. The Retro Macintosh
From the front, the Retro Macintosh clearly looks like a blast from the past. The screen extrudes forward from the body just like the original Macintosh with the array of ports sitting below it. The rainbow Apple logo, something that the company would never use today, also sits in the original place on the lower-left corner of the display. And while Apple has wholeheartedly embraced white for many of its products, the off-white hue is a clear nod to the computers of the past.
4. 27″ iMac Pro
This iMac concept by Khahn Design features a 27″ mini LED display with ProMotion technology. It also boasts darker yet slimmer bezels, 16GB RAM, and 512GB of storage. Other features include – an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and several USB-C/Thunderbolt ports. An Ethernet port on the power adaptor is also an added bonus. It does look a little similar to the 24″ iMac and the Pro Display XDR. What do you think?
5. The Apple Arcade Pro
The Apple Arcade Pro models itself on the successful iPhone format. It comes with a Stainless Steel body in four different finishes and sports the same flat-edge design as the iPhone. On the front, however, things are a bit different. There’s no front-facing camera, but the notch is still there. In fact, there are two notches on either side of the device, allowing for the Arcade Pro to have its controls – an ambidextrous set of D-pads that change function depending on what game you’re playing. On the rim, the volume buttons are replaced by the left and right shoulder buttons, and the speaker modules now go all the way from one corner to the other, immersing you in audio as you game.
6. iPhone SE 3
This iPhone SE 3 concept by Filip Koroy (@everythingapplepro) could be called the iPhone SE Plus and would come with an A15 bionic chip and 5G support. Although it doesn’t have a bigger display, it features a 4.7″ LCD display much like the current version of the iPhone SE. Display analyst Ross Young says we may get to see this smartphone this year! He also suggests that we could get to see a larger version of the iPhone SE in 2024. This version could feature a 5.7″ to 6.1″ LCD display with a hole-punch camera. This could be the era of the iPhone SE! What do you think?
7. MacBook Pro Concept
This year, the new Apple MacBook Pro is expected to feature the biggest design overhaul since the 2016 design. The notebook will feature a flat-edged design, doing away with the curved edges for a more iPhone 12-like form factor. The designer here sways from the thought and envisions the design identical to how we have come to recognize the MacBook Pro in recent years, and it looks splendid nonetheless. The most notable difference this year is expected to be in the display. The MacBook will have brighter panels, supposedly with mini-LEDs, the first for the MacBook. Mini-LED display means there will be a significant improvement in the screen’s picture quality, contrast, and brightness. Marc’s vision suggests thinner bezels.
8. Portable M1 Mac Mini concept
Designer Scott Yu-Jan took to YouTube with an idea of a portable M1 Mac Mini, that paired with an iPad Mini, can be a MacBook alternative for the heavy-duty workaholics who would want to enjoy the power of M1 on the go without owning a MacBook. The DIYer, designer, and creator has made the Mac Mini really portable so that it would allow you to take your M1-powered workstation anywhere and use it conveniently as long as you can plug it into a socket.
9. Fresco XL
The suffix XL in Fresco XL comes from the fact that even though the car looks like a compact minivan, it is, in fact, an 8-seater sedan, designed to perform as an all-weather, off-roader too. Is it trying to disrupt the sedan category the way the Tesla Cybertruck disrupted the pickup-truck category? Well, probably. The car looks more like an abstraction of a Daft Punk helmet than an automobile, and sports absolutely no branding on it aside from the minimal Fresco logo embossed on the front and back. In fact, the logo isn’t even visible until you see it against angled light. The purpose, one could assume, is to ensure the design of the car does the talking.
10. Max Burgos’ iPhone 14 Concept
Meet the iPhone 14 concept from the mind of Max Burgos – for the most part, it looks just like a normal iPhone, except for the unique secondary display located on the back, wrapping around the camera module. On the front, the camera results in a notched display, on the back, however, the camera causes the display to take on an L-shaped design! As unusual as this secondary display may be, it actually serves as a way to reinforce Apple’s app ecosystem – here’s how. The secondary display could be prime real estate for interacting with Apple’s OWN apps.