With 2021 finally coming to an end, it’s time to take a look back at Apple products introduced this year. With up to ten big releases and lots of small launches, there’s a lot to be excited about from Apple’s 2021. What’s your favorite product introduced this year?
The first products Apple announced in 2021 were during the Spring Loaded event, where the company unveiled the AirTag, the new Apple TV 4K, the 24-inch iMac, a new color for the iPhone 12 line, and the brand new M1 iPad Pros.
The Apple AirTag has a reasonable price point with unreasonably-priced accessories. The smart tracker uses the U1 chip, has a year-battery life, and fully integrates with the iPhone and the Find My app. An AirTag is a good accessory for keychains, headphones, bags, and more
The second-generation Apple TV 4K introduces a brand new Siri Remote. With a faster processor as well, this is the perfect upgrade for those who’re waiting for a new set-top box from Apple.
After almost a decade, Apple redesigned the iMac with a 24-inch version. With seven new colors, a new Magic Keyboard, Mouse, and Trackpad options, it has better performance than its previous model thanks to the M1 chip and a nicer 1080p FaceTime HD camera.
The iPad Pro also received a major update. Both the models have the M1 chip, 50% faster than the A12Z Bionic in the fourth-generation iPad Pro, a new Thunderbolt port, and 5G support. The 12.9-inch model received a Liquid Retina XDR display that uses mini-LED technology.
Then, after the Spring Loaded event, we had some slow months until Apple announced its California Streaming event. In this September keynote, the company brought a redesigned iPad mini with the A15 Bionic, 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, Touch ID on the power button, and support for the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil. With fun colors, the iPad mini got not only its first redesign but also 5G support.
Of course, the star of this event was the long-rumored iPhone 13. With four models, Apple also brought the A15 Bionic to all of them, more battery life, a smaller notch, and increased the size of the camera sensors while expanding their capabilities with Cinematic mode, Photographic Styles, ProRes support, and more.
The company also now started selling the iPhone 13 with at least 128GB of storage while the iPhone 13 Pro got up to 1TB of storage. The Pro models also received a ProMotion display for the first time ever, another long-waited feature from users.
Now, a product that was a disappointment for many users was the Apple Watch Series 7. With just a bigger and more resistant display, it was nothing compared to all the rumors that talked about a design change of the product. WIthout new sensors, the Apple Watch Series 7 brings fast charging with Apple’s 20W power brick adapter, but apart from that, it’s only another Apple Watch Series 6.
On the other hand, Apple’s Unleashed event in October was a success. The company finally unveiled AirPods 3 with an all-new design, Spatial Audio support, and more battery life than its predecessor. Not only that, but it also added a MagSafe Wireless Charging case. With better sound, more battery life, and the simplicity of AirPods, Apple did great with these wireless earbuds.
Then, another long-waited product was the new MacBook Pro. Apple unveiled 14-inch and 16-inch models with a miniLED display and 120hz refresh rate support, a notch, M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, and more RAM and storage capabilities than ever before. The company also added back many of those missing ports from several years ago.
Last but definitely not least, the Apple Cloth. Jokingly or not, the product has one of the longest waiting times for customers to get their hands on one. As 9to5Mac Parker Ortolani brilliantly wrote about the product, it’s is “nicer than any other” [polishing cloth] he has ever used:
Apple’s cloth is nicer than any other one that I’ve used. In fact, it’s even nicer than any of the cloths Apple has shipped with some devices in the past, like the one that came with the original iPhone. But the company does ship a cloth currently with the Pro Display XDR and 27-inch nano-texture iMac, intended for specific use cases. It appears that the new cloth is nearly identical to the one packed with these machines, but we aren’t 100% certain.
With all of these products in mind, what was your favorite from Apple in 2021? Vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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