It’s official. After an entire month of waiting, Apple has revealed that some Mac-related announcements are coming just next week. The exact timing of the announcements, along with what devices will be launched, however, are still yet to be confirmed.
That being said, the leaks and reporting on this launch have been fairly robust, so we have a fairly good idea of what could be in the works. Refreshing Macs with the M4 chip will be the focus of the event, but there may be a few more surprises too.
When will Apple launch its new devices?
Mac (😉) your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/YnoCYkZq6c
— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) October 24, 2024
On Thursday, Greg “Joz” Joswiak over at Apple announced that the company has an “exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning.”
Now, this is peculiar in a number of different ways. First of all, it’s very rare that Apple gives the public a heads up on incoming announcements a few days before. Either there’s a formal event announcement a week or two earlier or announcements are just published via press release without notice.
The other strange thing about the post is that it says we’re in for a “week” of announcements, meaning it may start on Monday but extend throughout the week.
Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is “inviting media/creators” to Los Angeles for some kind of event, but also states that there won’t be a traditional “event” in Cupertino to see the products firsthand.
M4 MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro was last updated in October 2023 to give it M3-series chips. Speculation has been rife that Apple wants to switch to an annual refresh cycle for its devices, and that suggests the MacBook Pro’s time could come this October. As well as that, Apple has already rolled out the M4 chip in the iPad Pro, so it makes sense for the MacBook Pro to follow suit shortly after.
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman believes the MacBook Pro is a shoo-in for October. Gurman says there will be updates across the line: the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro will get an M4 chip, while the other 14-inch models and the 16-inch MacBook Pro will receive the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
As well as that, a series of huge leaks surfaced in late September and early October, and these seemed to showcase the upcoming M4 MacBook Pro in all its glory. Not only did these leaks shed light on the MacBook’s performance but they also revealed some intriguing design changes that are apparently coming to the new products.
For one thing, the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro looks to be getting a new Space Black color (previously reserved for the variants with Pro and Max chips) and double the starting memory, up to 16GB from 8GB. There was another tasty morsel in the leaks, too: the 14-inch MacBook Pro could get three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an improvement over the two Thunderbolt 3 slots on the current MacBook Pro.
Unusually, if the leaks are to be believed, it looks like the M4 MacBook Pro’s box could depict the same wallpaper used on the M3 MacBook Pro. Apple has never recycled a wallpaper in this way, but with reliable sources like Mark Gurman convinced that the leaks are genuine, it looks like Apple might be taking this unusual step for one reason or another.
Redesigned M4 Mac mini
The design of the Mac mini has remained largely the same for years — its last major visual overhaul was in June 2010, over 14 years ago. Fortunately, we shouldn’t have too long to wait for the next redesign, as Mark Gurman has reported it’s set to receive a new look at Apple’s October event.
This should result in the Mac mini having a footprint about the size of an Apple TV box, which is noticeably smaller than the current Mac mini’s dimensions. In return, the Mac mini is expected to get a little taller.
That’s not the only change coming to Apple’s smallest desktop Mac. Leaked macOS code suggests it could get five USB ports (up from the maximum four on the current Mac mini), and Gurman says those ports will all be USB-C, replacing the existing USB-A slots. Two of them will be on the front of the device, making them much easier to access, while three will be on the rear. We can also expect M4 and M4 Pro chips on the inside.
M4 iMac
A new iMac is a strong bet for October, but as with the iMac’s M3 update in 2023, it’s only expected to see minor tweaks this time around. The main change will be the introduction of an M4 chip, but we shouldn’t expect anything more powerful (such as the M4 Pro).
There’s also a pretty good chance that Apple’s iMac accessories — like the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad — could get USB-C charging ports to replace the existing Lightning connectors, and this is something that has been bolstered by code uncovered by MacRumors. Apple has been switching out its devices’ Lightning ports to comply with European Union regulations, so it seems inevitable that the iMac’s peripherals will follow suit.
Everything we don’t expect to see
There are plenty of rumored products for Apple’s October event, but also a few others that are unlikely to be unveiled on the day. For instance, while the show will be Mac-focused, some Apple computers almost certainly won’t make an appearance.
That includes the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro — although they were both last updated in 2023, they’re not expected to join Apple’s annual upgrade cycle (perhaps due to the longer development times needed for their high-end chips). Instead, the new Mac Studio will probably debut around the middle of 2025, while the Mac Pro should be updated before the end of the year.
Likewise, rumors suggest that the MacBook Air will be upgraded in spring 2025 rather than at the October show. The M3 MacBook Air launched in March 2024, so a second upgrade within the same calendar year is probably not in the cards.
The iPad and iPad mini were previously seen as possibilities for this October, but that idea took a blow when Apple updated the iPad mini via a press release in mid-October, ruling it out of the M4 event. At the same time, Apple tweaked the entry-level iPad to lower its price and remove the charger from its box in the European Union, which made it very unlikely that Apple would announce another change shortly afterward at its October event. What’s more, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says he expects a new entry-level iPad to debut in 2025 (specifically, “later in the year”).
Finally, there are a few other products that, in all probability, won’t be ready in time for October, despite apparently being in the works. That includes a new iPhone SE, upgrades to the AirTags tracker, and a new Apple TV box. Chances are these are all coming in 2025.
