Welcome to our monthly Apple News Roundup. This column recaps the top 10 biggest Apple news announcements from each month. This edition features the highlights from April of 2022.
1. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference returns online
On April 5, Apple announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in an online format from June 6-10. The event is free for all developers to attend and will build upon the success of the past two years of virtual events. WWDC22 will showcase the latest innovations in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Developers will also have access to Apple engineers and technologies. For the third year, Apple will support students who love to code with the Swift Student Challenge.
2. New Apple Watches set to debut this year
We are expected to see two new watches from Apple in 2022. Apple Watch SE 2 is rumored to have an updated processor and new health features. Apple Watch Series 8 is slated to arrive this fall and an investor note seen by 9to5Mac mentioned that the watch could have temperature management capabilities. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Apple is working on blood pressure monitoring, advanced sleep tracking, and a blood glucose monitor for its watches.
3. Apple introduces a new version of iMovie
A new version of iMovie was introduced on April 12, and its features make it easy to create beautifully edited videos on iPhone and iPad. iMovie 3.0 features Storyboards that help aspiring content creators and moviemakers learn to edit and improve their video storytelling skills. Additionally, Magic Movie instantly creates a video from clips and photos selected by a user and adds transitions, effects, and music to the edit.
4. Apple’s Self Service Repair is now available
US customers can now purchase genuine Apple parts and tools through the Apple Self Service Repair Store. This new online store offers more than 200 individual parts and tools—designed for customers experienced with repairing electronic devices. A customer will first review the repair manual by visiting support.apple.com/self-service-repair, then visit the Apple Self Service Repair store to order the necessary parts and tools. Apple will also offer tool rental kits for $49 for customers who do not want to purchase tools for a single repair.
5. Apple to rebrand iTunes Pass in the Wallet app
Apple released the first beta of iOS 15.5 to developers and has been working to rebrand iTunes Pass as “Apple Account Card” in the Wallet app. The card will be displayed in the Wallet app just like the Apple Card and the Apple Cash card, and users will be able to complete the purchase using Apple Pay—the account balance can be used to buy products, accessories, apps, games, and more online or in-store.
6. Apple reports record revenue of $97.3 billion
Apple announced that for the second fiscal quarter of 2022, the company posted $97.3 billion in revenue, up 9 percent year over year. The company also posted $25 billion in profit—also an all-time record for this quarter. Apple’s top money-maker is still the iPhone, bringing in $50 million in net sales. Apple’s Services division saw the biggest increase at 17 percent, while sales in “Wearables, Home and Accessories” grew 12 percent year-over-year. “This quarter’s record results are a testament to Apple’s relentless focus on innovation and our ability to create the best products and services in the world,” said CEO Tim Cook.
7. Apple expands its use of recycled materials
On April 19, Apple released new details on the increased use of recycled content across its products. The company introduced recycled gold and doubled its use of recycled tungsten, rare earth elements, and cobalt. In 2021, nearly 20 percent of all materials used in Apple products were recycled—the highest-ever use of recycled content. Apple released new details on this progress, its recycling innovation efforts, and clean energy in its 2022 Environmental Progress Report. For more information about Apple’s environmental efforts, visit apple.com/environment.
8. Apple starts manufacturing on iPhone 13 in India
Apple Inc has started making the iPhone 13 in India—while trying to reduce reliance on its Chinese supply chain. The phone is being produced at a local plant of Apple’s Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn. Apple has been shifting some areas of iPhone production to other markets including India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market—they also plan on assembling iPad tablets there.
9. Apple Fitness+ gives users “Permission to Dance”
Leading up to International Dance Day on April 29, Fitness+ introduced a new Dance Collection, a limited-edition award, and a special Artist Spotlight featuring songs and moves from BTS videos. The new Dance content will also include music by ABBA and Queen, along with the “Get into a Groove with Dance” workout Collection. On International Dance Day, Apple Watch users around the world were encouraged to find time to groove and earned a limited-edition award and animated stickers for Messages for completing any Dance workout of 20 minutes or more.
10. Apple helps suppliers accelerate renewable energy
On April 14, Apple announced that its suppliers more than doubled their use of clean power over the last year. In 2021, these renewable projects avoided 13.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions. The company is working with its global supply chain to accelerate and support its transition to clean energy—over 200 of the company’s manufacturing partners have pledged to power all Apple production with renewable electricity across 25 countries. For more information, read Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program Update.
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