The 5 biggest surprises from Apple's Spring Loaded event

After weeks of rumours, Apple has finally revealed its first new products of 2021 via a virtual event. And this was a big one for creatives, with huge updates to the iMac and iPad and more.

Many of today's announcements had already been thoroughly leaked, from the Tile-esque AirTags tracking device to the addition of an OLED display to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. But there were still a few surprises in store – ranging from the random to the remarkable. Here's everything we weren't expecting. (In the market for new kit? Check out our best Apple deals.)

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Daniel John
Design Editor

Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.

Read more
iPad 11th generation
Apple somehow managed to make the iPad line up even stranger
A selection of Apple products
Next week could be a wild ride for Apple fans
Apple CEO Tim Cook standing next to a row of MacBook Air laptops at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2022.
All the Apple Macs we expect in 2025 – and the first one is almost here
An Apple MacBook Air M3 on a table
Apple's new MacBook Air colours mark the end of an era
January sale Apple deals
New Year, new gear: the best Apple January sale deals include up to 20% off MacBook Airs
iMac
iMac M4 review: Apple's beautiful desktop computer keeps defying the doubters
Latest in Events
Artwork for MESHFair
30 leading 3D and VR artists to explore spatial computing at MESHfair 2024
MESHfair 2024
MESHfair announces 2024 Open Call for 3D, Metaverse and VR Artists
A collection of ASUS Zenbook Duo computers in different configurations on a table
The 3 things I'm aching to review from CES 2024
BAFTA Breakthrough 2023; two people photographed on blue and red backgrounds
2023 BAFTA Breakthrough winners: "It gives the games industry a level footing, culturally, with other industries"
Quentin Blake in front of his illustrations
The first-ever National Illustration Day is coming (and it's about time)
Unity Awards; a logo on a screen
Vote now in the 15th Unity Awards
Latest in News
Audi EV billboard adverts
Ingenious Audi billboards soar above the chaos in EV branding
Chupa Chups logo
The Chupa Chups logo was created by an art legend in just one hour
DC Sonic the Hedgehog comic collaboration
Sega reveals first glimpse of the Sonic DC collaboration we never knew we needed
The Dell 8K monitor on a green background, next to the text, 'Lowest price'.
The only commercially available 8K monitor is on sale with $1,771 off, and I'm intrigued
Tesla Cybertruck
Another day, another Tesla Cybertruck design fail
Pokemon loaded dice
Google AI gets Pokémon facts wrong, gamers are infuriated – and it points to a dangerous problem