Where were AirPods and Macs at the Apple California Streaming Event?

All eyes in the tech industry were on Apple today as the company took the stage for its California Streaming Special Event. The company took the opportunity to show off some snippets from its upcoming Apple TV+ content, the newest generation of iPhones, a refreshed 10.2-inch iPad, an all-new iPad Mini, and redesigned Apple Watch. While most of the items at the show were known ahead of time thanks to the power of the internet rumor mill, some of the potential reveals expected during today’s show failed to make the final cut.

While much of the fanfare was rightfully focused on the new iPhone 13 family, many industry experts expected to see more products from Apple, including the newest generation of AirPods and the next batch of Mac computers and laptops. Those expectations were not met.

Where were AirPods and Macs at the Apple California Streaming Event?

Along with most of the leaks surrounding the iPhone 13 family, the rumor mill has been pretty hot about the prospect of new AirPods for months now. Analysts and fans had expectations that the new generation of AirPods (presumably named AirPods 3) would pick up some of the advancements offered by the AirPods Pro. Features such as smaller stems, user-replaceable tips, and a more compact charging case were among the most coveted. It was also presumed that the new AirPods would offer support for spatial audio, which has been heavily featured as an upgrade for Apple Music subscribers earlier this year.

Also on the wishlist for many Apple faithful was a new lineup of Mac computers and laptops. Expectations have been high for new Mac computers since the company launched Macbooks with Apple-designed M1 processors last year. With the latest versions of MacOS making use of Apple's new efficient processor designs, many expected today’s show to offer the first glimpse of a new Mac running on something other than Intel hardware. Apple has a rumored “M1X” chip that could be the centerpiece of new Mac desktops and the oft-rumored Macbook Pro refresh with 14 and 16-inch displays.

Sadly, the new AirPods and Macs were nowhere to be seen during today’s event. That being said, most industry insiders believe that Apple has been planning two shows for this fall (today’s California Steaming Event included) and that the new laptops and AirPods will likely show up in all their glory at the second event.

While there has been no firm date set by Apple for this next event, you can be sure that any new information will be published here on Shacknews when it is made available. Additionally, you can count on full coverage of the event as it happens.