Apple’s remaining potential launches for 2024
Apple’s iPhone 16 “Glowtime” event may be over, but there’s still time left in the year for more product launches. Here’s what Apple is expected to reveal before the end of 2024.
As usual for Apple’s September special event, the company launched the iPhone 16 and a bunch of other products. However, it didn’t manage to go through the entire product catalog during its 90-minute presentation.
With Apple’s Mac and iPad ranges left untouched for the event, this gives Apple an opportunity to bring out more products in the last three months of the year.
This is what you can expect in the last quarter of 2024 in terms of Apple product launches.
An October event
While the main focus is always on the September Apple Event, the fall promotional schedule usually involves two separate showcases. The first is in September, and will usually involve an iPhone update as well as some other connected products, as performed on September 9.
The second tends to be an event in October, again quite early in the month. There have been rare November events, including one year when all three months had an event, but October is the most likely option.
As for what will be in the October event, Apple practically fills it up with all product categories it failed to get to during the September event.
Since Apple didn’t cover iPads nor Macs in its September launches, they’re the prime candidates for the October version.
iPad and iPad mini
The iPad is often updated at the same time as iPhones, though not every time. With its last update in the fall of 2022, there’s a strong possibility that an update will happen soon.
There haven’t really been any rumors about the iPad, meaning there is little in the way to expect from an upgrade. What you can look forward to is a chip bump, with a view to running Apple Intelligence.
The iPad mini has been left alone for three years by Apple, making it long overdue for an update. For similar reasons to the iPad, you can at least expect a chip upgrade.
Other updates that could happen includes shifting the front camera to operate in a landscape orientation. As for the rear, it’s probable that 12MP sensors will still be used, but the iPad mini could plausibly get a 48MP update to match the iPhone 16.
What is not expected is an OLED update for the iPad mini. Even so, Apple is probably going to fix the annoying jelly scrolling issue that the sixth-gen model suffered from.
Since Apple updated the iPad Air and iPad Pro earlier in 2024, a second update in the same year is very doubtful.
Mac mini
Of the rumored inbound Macs, the Mac mini is one of the top choices Apple could make. Last updated in January 2023, it has previously been among the first Macs to get new Apple Silicon updates.
Changes to the Mac mini’s design are expected this time.
The rumor mill agrees that it is due soon, and possibly in a new smaller form factor. This would be a big change from its existing aluminum puck design and into sleeker territory.
An M4 Mac mini may not be the only model offered by Apple. Based on earlier iterations, an M4 Pro with a similar appearance could also be on the way.
iMac
While the 24-inch iMac was updated in November 2023 to use M3, there is the general belief that it could still get an update to M4. It’s not quite a year into its M3 life, but it’s close enough to be a possibility.
The 24-inch iMac could be joined by a bigger model.
A chip update may not be the only iMac change in the works. The rumor mill has repeatedly discussed the possibility of a larger iMac, potentially using a 32-inch display, as an alternate size option.
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro is frequently updated to the latest chips, and the M4 should be no exception. After being updated to M3 in the fall of 2023, an M4 update in the fall of 2024 seems equally likely.
The MacBook Pro has yet to move to M4.
Though rumors have raised the prospect of an M4 update, they have also lacked any details of changes that could also be made. If the quiet rumors are any indication, this could just be a spec-bump update for the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The unlikely options
While there are some strong candidates for an update, there are also quite a few holes in the iPad and Mac lineups that are not likely to happen. Some are due to release timing, and some due to rumors and forecasts of a later update.
The iPad Pro was updated to M4 earlier in 2024, meaning a fall update is unlikely unless Apple secretly wanted to produce iPads with an M4 Pro or M4 Max. Likewise, the iPad Air was shifted to M2 at the same time.
The rumor mill believes the MacBook Air won’t get an update until the spring of 2025 at the earliest. Meanwhile the Mac Studio and Mac Pro are anticipated to be upgraded in late 2025 instead.
It’s still entirely possible, albeit remotely, that Apple could introduce a New MacBook Air, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro in October, or before the end of 2024. The better bet is that it won’t, and the 2025 launches for the Pro-grade desktops are more probable.
