Apple’s “Peek Performance” event on March 8, 2022 was a quieter spring event by Apple’s standards — three product launches at the live keynote, no headline iPhone. In hindsight, two of the three reveals turned out to be more significant than they looked at the time: the Mac Studio plus M1 Ultra chip set the template for Apple Silicon’s pro lineup, and the iPad Air’s surprise jump to M1 silicon shaped the iPad roadmap that followed. This article preserves the original 2022 preview and adds what actually shipped, including the things rumors got wrong.
Contents
The event details
The “Peek Performance” event aired on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 10 a.m. Pacific from Apple Park. It was the second consecutive spring event that Apple held virtually rather than in person, a hangover from COVID-era scheduling decisions. The livestream was available on apple.com, the Apple TV app, Apple’s YouTube channel, and inside the Events tab on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, announced the event a week earlier on Twitter with a glimmering Apple logo and the “Peek Performance” tagline. The wordplay turned out to be a clue: the headline product was a peek at Apple Silicon’s high end.
What was rumored ahead of March 8
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman set the broad expectations a week before the event. The consensus pre-event rumor list:
- A third-generation iPhone SE with 5G and the A15 Bionic chip
- A fifth-generation iPad Air, expected to run the A15 Bionic chip with 5G
- A new Mac powered by Apple Silicon — most rumors pointed at a Mac mini or 27-inch iMac refresh
- Software betas to follow (iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, macOS 12.3, watchOS 8.5)
What Apple actually shipped
The actual announcements were a partial match to the rumors and one substantial surprise:
| Product | What shipped | Starting price | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone SE (3rd gen) | A15 Bionic, 5G, single rear camera, Touch ID home button — same design as SE (2020) | $429 | Discontinued in February 2025; replaced by iPhone 16e |
| iPad Air (5th gen) | M1 chip (not A15 as rumored), 5G option, USB-C, Center Stage front camera | $599 | Replaced by iPad Air M2 (2024) and iPad Air M3 (2025) |
| Mac Studio | Brand new desktop category, M1 Max or M1 Ultra, paired with the new Studio Display | $1,999 (Max), $3,999 (Ultra) | Still sold, on its third generation (M3 Ultra) |
| Studio Display | 27-inch 5K panel, A13 chip for built-in webcam + speakers, USB-C | $1,599 | Still sold; refresh expected |
| M1 Ultra chip | Two M1 Max dies fused via UltraFusion interconnect — Apple’s first chiplet design | n/a (chip) | Architecture extended to M2 Ultra and M3 Ultra |
| Software betas | iOS 15.4 (Face ID with mask), iPadOS 15.4 (Universal Control), macOS 12.3, watchOS 8.5 | Free | Long since superseded; iOS 18 is the current major version |
The Mac Studio launch was the genuinely surprising piece. Rumors had focused on the iMac and Mac mini refresh; the Mac Studio was a new product category positioned between Mac mini and Mac Pro, aimed at creative professionals who wanted Apple Silicon performance in a desktop form factor without paying for a discrete tower.
What the rumors got wrong
Several pre-event predictions did not pan out:
- iPad Air chip miss. Bloomberg and most analysts expected the iPad Air 5 to use the A15 Bionic. Apple shipped it with the M1 instead — the first time the Air line jumped to Mac-class silicon. This decision shaped the iPad lineup ever since: the iPad Air remains on M-series chips through the M3 variant in 2025.
- No iMac or Mac mini refresh. Both were rumored. Neither shipped. The iMac M1 sat in the lineup unchanged until October 2023, and the Mac mini stayed on the M1 until January 2023. The Mac Studio absorbed the slot rumors had assumed would go to a 27-inch iMac.
- iPhone SE 3 design. Rumors had hinted at the SE adopting Touch ID under the screen or a more modern design. The actual SE 3 kept the Touch ID home button and the borrowed iPhone 8 chassis. Apple did not modernise the SE form factor until the iPhone 16e replacement arrived in 2025.
How the products have aged
Four years on:
- iPhone SE (3rd gen) — The last home-button iPhone Apple shipped. Discontinued in February 2025 when the iPhone 16e launched and took the budget slot. SE 3 owners are still on iOS support (iOS 18 supported the A15) but the device is past the practical resale-value cliff. For more context, see our iPhone SE tips and tricks guide.
- iPad Air 5 (M1) — Has aged better than any other 2022 Apple product. iPadOS 18 still supports it; performance is comparable to the current iPad Air for most tasks. The decision to put an M1 in the Air gave it a five-year useful lifespan instead of the three-year cycle the A-series chips delivered.
- Mac Studio — The Mac Studio M3 Ultra (released 2025) is the third generation. The product line has become Apple’s preferred sales pitch for professional Mac users, displacing some of what the Mac Pro tower used to do for buyers who don’t need PCIe slots.
- Studio Display — Has not been refreshed since launch and is overdue. The single-cable USB-C connection, A13 internal chip for the webcam, and 5K panel are still relevant; the lack of HDR is the most-cited weakness in 2026.
- M1 Ultra chip — Apple has continued the Ultra tier on each generation. The UltraFusion chiplet interconnect Apple debuted here is now the standard way Apple scales its desktop chips.
- Face ID with mask (from iOS 15.4) — Was the early-pandemic feature. Removed dependency on a mask for unlock; remained in iOS as Face ID continues to improve. Largely irrelevant by 2024 as mask wearing dropped.
- Universal Control (iPadOS 15.4, macOS 12.3) — Lets you move your cursor between a Mac and an iPad with no setup. The feature shipped in beta with the March 8 software updates and has remained one of Apple’s best continuity features.
The longer arc shows the Peek Performance event was more consequential than it looked at the time. The Mac Studio established a category, the M1 Ultra established the chiplet path forward, and the iPad Air’s M1 set the precedent for Apple Silicon outside the Pro tier.
FAQ
Is the iPhone SE (3rd gen) still supported in 2026?
Yes for iOS updates — iOS 18 (the autumn 2024 release) supported it, and iOS 19 (autumn 2025) did as well. Apple discontinued new sales in February 2025 when the iPhone 16e launched. SE 3 owners can expect one or two more years of iOS updates based on Apple’s historical A-series support cadence.
Is the Mac Studio still sold in 2026?
Yes. The Mac Studio has reached its third generation, with the M3 Max and M3 Ultra variants released in 2025. The product line has become Apple’s preferred desktop pitch for professional Mac users who don’t need the PCIe slots of the Mac Pro tower.
Is the iPad Air M1 still worth buying used in 2026?
Yes, for most non-professional workloads. The M1 chip is still capable of running iPadOS 18 smoothly, supports Stage Manager, and handles current creative apps. A used iPad Air M1 is one of the better value-per-dollar tablets on the resale market in 2026.
Has Apple refreshed the Studio Display since 2022?
No. The Studio Display has not been refreshed since its March 2022 launch. A Studio Display 2 has been repeatedly rumored — including mini-LED backlighting for HDR — but Apple has not announced one. The current model remains in the lineup at the original $1,599 price.
Does Universal Control still work?
Yes. The feature shipped in iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 (both betas at the March 8 event) and has remained in every subsequent release. The setup is found at System Settings > Displays on Mac; once enabled, dragging the cursor off the side of one screen lets you reach an adjacent iPad’s screen as if it were a connected display.
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