The end of the year is near, and with it comes a plethora of articles looking back at both the year that was in Apple news and the year to come. And who am I to avoid such a trend?

Perhaps 2022 has been dominated by Apple’s economic problems, including disruption to the global supply chain, ongoing pandemic-related issues, and, of course, inflation. But despite what market watchers endearingly refer to as “headwinds,” the company persevered and unveiled another impressive set of products backed by financials.

When it comes to the big steps the company itself has taken in 2022, they may not always be obvious at first glance. You can’t always directly link these decisions to Apple’s continued success. Most often, these are small steps that subsequently lead to big changes.

Security and prosperity

Over the last decade or so, Apple has increasingly positioned itself as a bastion of privacy and security in a digital world that increasingly needs your information. And while the company could rightfully claim that mantle, its frequent blunt advertising for this aspect has made it ready to be attacked when its behavior didn’t match its words. The company has certainly suffered its losses this year – on the one hand, increased advertising in the App Store, on the other hand, lingering questions about data leakage from iOS, on the other – but it’s hard to argue that the company has not redoubled its efforts to improve the security of its devices.

Apple

Just last week, we saw the start of the rollout of Advanced Data Protection, which is finally giving users the ability to encrypt their iCloud backups, closing a loophole that allows access to data (such as cloud-based iMessage) that would otherwise be considered finite. fully encrypted. But this is just an addition to several other important security improvements from the company. This fall, iOS 16 and macOS Ventura introduced support for passwords, a technology that Apple (and other tech companies) hope will replace the password. The company has also introduced a lockdown mode that aims to protect the platform’s most targeted users by disabling certain features that could be exploited by high-level attackers.

Security is a cat and mouse game; one cannot rest on one’s laurels, because those who look for vulnerabilities certainly don’t. But Apple’s overall security efforts this year go a long way in making sure the company lives up to its advertising promise that whatever happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.

Spread it around

There is probably no more important story in the world of Apple this year than the company’s supply chain. While it may not be the biggest topic, the infrastructure used to build and deliver a company’s products is absolutely critical to its success. And with the ongoing COVID lockdowns in China, the pressure on Apple to start expanding locations where critical components are made and its products assembled has only intensified.

The infrastructure building process is slow and gradual, but it’s clear from Apple’s actions this year that the company is serious about it. TSMC’s new semiconductor plant in Arizona is just one example: while it may not be supplying much of the processors for Apple products anytime soon, it is a concrete move to reduce dependence on one region (and, in the case of its semiconductor manufacturing, a single country).

Similarly, Apple has begun targeting countries such as Vietnam and India for some of its products: currently mostly for smaller volume items like the iPhone SE and AirPods, but it’s hard not to see these products as test balloons for more significant investment in infrastructure. in future.

Manufacturing is one area where Apple’s legendary penchant for control actually opened up problems for them: its relationship with China gave it so much control over how its products are made that it was willing to overlook the risk of to put so many eggs in one. basket. But as they say, the best time to diversify outside of China was yesterday, and the next best time is today.

Big Mac attack

Last year, I named the Mac the most exciting line of Apple products — no small feat for a device that is just around the corner from its 40th anniversary. 2022 hasn’t dissuaded me from this trend in the least: while it may not provide the huge share of Apple’s revenue that the iPhone brings, the Mac continues to gain momentum this year, helped by several significant product launches.

The arrival of Mac Studio this spring came as a surprise to even many Apple fans, but the impressive performance and expansion options were enough to satisfy all but the most demanding users. (And, in hindsight, it also did well, since Apple’s promised Mac Pro silicon still hasn’t arrived.) The June announcement of the M2 MacBook Air also showed that Apple was keen to push its own processor development forward. , although the aforementioned COVID lockdowns appear to have prevented it from quickly updating new models. And with Studio Display, the company has finally lived up to the expectations of many Mac users who have been craving a quality display for their PC without the Pro Display XDR price tag. All of this is indicative of Apple’s large investment in the Mac lineup, with the promise of more.

IDG

Even if Apple missed its promised date for the transition of the entire Mac line to Apple silicon in two years, well, it is only a little, since the Mac Pro and Intel Mac mini remained the only obsolete products. But there were few complaints about missed deadlines, indicating the overall success of the product line.

Next twelve

And that’s 2022 in a nutshell. Of course, more has happened in Apple’s world: increased scrutiny from regulators around the world, forcing the company to think about changing its business models, came in second place, the Apple Watch Ultra gave a much-needed boost to this line of wearables, and finally there was an increase prices for Apple services, as revenue growth in this category began to slow down.

The next 12 months are likely to be just as eventful, which means we have a lot of exciting things ahead of us. Next week, I’ll be detailing three things to keep an eye on as we flip the calendar for 2023.