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These three discontinued Apple merchandise might return, and I am excited

Source: Pocketnow

Every Apple product has its own life cycle. While some products, such as the MacBook Air, are updated every other year, some products are sold for a few years before they’re discontinued. A new report from MacRumors covers some of the Apple products that have been discontinued but could make a comeback soon.

3 discontinued Apple products rumored to make a comeback soon

HomePod

Source: Apple

Who can forget the original HomePod? The tall fabric tower was the first smart speaker from the Cupertino giant. The HomePod received mixed reviews when it launched — some praised it for its superior sound quality compared to other smart speakers and features like Hand-off, while some criticized it for the high $349 price tag and quirks from Siri.

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The speaker was, however, discontinued in March last year. While the company continues to support the original HomePod, releasing updates for it from time to time, the only HomePod that you can officially buy right now is the HomePod mini.

According to Bloomberg’s reliable reporter Mark Gurman, Apple is developing a new HomePod that would be “closer to the original HomePod” in terms of size and performance. It would feature the same Apple S8 chipset as the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 and will come with an “updated display on top” that could also support multi-touch functionality.

I was a huge fan of the original HomePod when it came out. It still is one of the best smart speakers that I own, though the sound isn’t as good as it used to be. Nonetheless, this seems like the right time to revive the HomePod. Siri has improved a lot over the past few years, and with Apple joining the Matter Smart Home Standard, you will be able to control a lot more smart home products compared to the previous generation.

The company could also add support for lossless audio — something that the original HomePod does not support. But the thing that excites me the most about the upcoming HomePod is the “updated display”. There are rumors that Apple could add a detachable display to the HomePod, making it one of a kind product. There’s no word on the product’s exact release date yet, but some rumors claim that Apple will launch the next-gen HomePod during the first half of next year.

MacBook

Source: Apple

Another Apple product that is said to make a comeback is the 12-inch MacBook. Apple announced the first MacBook (without Air or Pro moniker next to it) in 2015. It was targeted toward an audience who wanted a thin and light laptop for a very casual workflow. It featured a fanless design, a single USB-C port, a new Force Touch trackpad, and a dual-core Intel chipset.

This was one of the main reasons why the 12-inch MacBook didn’t do very well. Customers found the 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor underpowered as it was not able to handle low-duty tasks. Thermals were also a problem. Apple finally decided to discontinue the 12-inch MacBook in July 2019. But, with the launch of M-series processors, it seems that the 12-inch Apple MacBook lineup could make a comeback.

Mark Gurman says that Apple is already considering launching a new 12-inch notebook. Apple’s M-series line of processors has given the Mac line a new life. The laptops are both powerful and power-efficient at the same time. The MacBook Air already comes with a similar fanless design, and the upcoming 12-inch notebook could share a lot of elements with it.

iMac Pro

Source: Apple

Apple is also saying to be working on the next-generation iMac Pro. Apple announced the first iMac Pro in 2017. However, it did not receive any substantial upgrade during its lifetime and was eventually discontinued last year. Apple, at the time, said that 27-inch iMac was becoming a preferred choice among the majority of pro iMac buyers. However, it has also discontinued the 27-inch iMac since.

Currently, the only iMac you can officially buy from Apple is the 24-inch 2021 iMac. The big screen iMac is long due for an upgrade, and according to Mark Gurman, Apple’s larger iMac “could arrive as early as next year.”

Apple has already shown us what its powerful M-series chip can do. The M1 Max and M1 Ultra chips are some of the best desktop chipsets out there. Given the time frame, Apple could debut the first Apple Silicon iMac Pro with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, and it could be the true Pro-level machine professionals have been waiting for.

These are the Apple products that could soon see the light of the day (again), and we are quite excited to see what the company has in store for us. Would you be interested in buying these products if Apple releases a new version? Let us know in the comments section below!

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