Predictions: Apple products that will be discontinued in 2022 | ZDNet

Every year, Apple discontinues a swathe of products, and 2022 will be no exception.

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• iPhones 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, and 12: These will be superseded by new iPhones in September.
• Apple Watch Series 7: Will be superseded by a new Apple Watch.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.