Every year, Apple discontinues a swathe of products, and 2022 will be no exception.
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This is a normal process for tech companies, so knowing ahead of time helps for two reasons: you can avoid buying products that will discontinued, and you will be aware if your own devices are headed for end-of-life.
See also: Don't waste your money on these Apple products: January 2022 edition
A good way to predict what will be discontinued in 2022 is to look at what was discontinued in 2021.
Here's a list of 2021's discontinued tech:
- iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max
- Apple Watch Series 6
- iPhone XR
- iPad 8th-gen
- iPad mini 5th-gen
- 21.5-inch iMac
- iMac Pro
- HomePod
- Apple TV 4K 1st-gen
- Beats EP/Solo Pro/Powerbeats 3
Some of these were to be expected to make room for new generations (iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watch). It's logical, but some of the others were interesting -- especially the HomePod, 21.5-inch iMac, and the iMac Pro. These point to a shift of priorities at Apple.
So, what should we expect Apple to discontinue in 2022?
Here are my predictions:
- iPhones 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, and 12: These will be superseded by new iPhones in September.
- Apple Watch Series 7: Will be superseded by a new Apple Watch.
- iPhone SE: At almost two years old, this is heading towards the end of the line.
- iPad Air 4th-gen: By September 2022, this will be two years old and ripe for dropping.
- iMac 27-inch: This will get the M1 Apple Silicon treatment.
- Mac Pro: This will also get the M1 Apple Silicon treatment.
- AirPods Pro: Released in October 2019, these have had a good run; I'm expecting an updated version to land this year.
- iPod touch 7th-gen: Released in May 2019, this thing is now a complete dinosaur. I fully expect Apple to kill the iPod touch once the current one is discontinued, as it's hard to see it being a viable product now.
As usual, it looks like it's going to be a big year for Apple updates. Stay tuned.