Apple springs into action

2021 got off to a flying start with Apple’s Spring Loaded event – here’s what made it so special

From the moment Tim Cook introduced the Spring Loaded event at Apple Park in April, we knew it was going to be something very special. Within just 60 minutes, the company set out its stall for 2021, covering everything from new apps and services to an incredible array of new hardware, the chief of which are the M1-powered 24in iMac in a jawdropping slimline design, and the new 11in and 12.9in iPad Pros, which bring M1 superpowers and Thunderbolt to Apple’s tablet for the first time.

But it’s the direction of travel that will ultimately prove to be the most interesting. With the M1 and its successors (the M2 is already reportedly in mass production), Apple now has the chance to completely redefine what its devices can do and be, while at the same time basing those devices on a common platform, underpinned by Apple silicon.

Apple knows that and it used the Spring Loaded event to mark the new era by deliberately harking back to its glorious past, from the rainbow arch that appeared in the centre of Apple Park to the seven colours of the new iMac, significantly reminding us of the last time that Apple had the chance to start again – the launch of the original iMac in 1998.

Apple then clearly has a sense of its own destiny and, having undertaken the hard and arduous preparation to get there, has now begun its new journey in earnest. The Spring Loaded event was arguably just the first step – there’ll be plenty more incredible adventures to follow in the months and years to come. Ready? Let’s begin…