What to expect from Apple’s next Mac and iPad announcements

Another round of Apple devices is about to arrive. After launching the lineup of iPhone 16, new Apple Watches, and AirPods 4 in September, Apple seems to be preparing to introduce updated Macs and iPads this month.

We’re expecting a new chip update, at least one repair, and maybe an October surprise or two (the good kind). Official announcements can come to us through a traditional event or a series of early morning press releases — Apple has taken both approaches in the past, and no one knows for sure right now. Regardless, here’s what we think we’ll see when we get updates and what might not make the cut.

Apple Intelligence is set to launch “this fall” on compatible iPhones, iPads and Macs, with the first features arriving in October. That means we should get an announcement soon.

First, we’re looking forward to Apple’s Writing Tools for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing, along with the newly invented Siri, new features in the Photos app like Cleanup (similar to Google’s Magic Eraser), and call logs and voice memos. Other features such as ChatGPT search links, Genmoji custom emoji, art that creates a playground, and Visual Intelligence image search are expected to “come out later this year and in the following months,” according to Apple.

We first saw these features rolled back at WWDC 2024, but until now, you have to install one of Apple’s developer or public betas to experience them. For iPhones, the features come to the 15 Pro / Pro Max and the entire iPhone 16 line. For iPads and Macs, Apple Intelligence will start on models with M1-generation processors or newer.

Last year’s October event focused heavily on the MacBook Pro line. The 14-inch and 16-inch models both saw chip bumps, and Apple introduced a new 14-inch model that eventually killed the Touch Bar. We don’t expect the size of the lineup to change much from the M4 generation, but Apple may have bigger plans for the 14-inch Pro model. Recent leaks seem to show a black 14-inch Pro with an M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and a third Thunderbolt port, which would solve many of our complaints about type M3. However, the “chip bump” is welcome, especially if you are a hunter who wants to find yourself close to selling the latest goods that are going to be the latest.

We’re expecting a major overhaul of Apple’s small desktop computer — it might just make it even smaller. In addition to including new M4 and M4 Pro chips, there is the fact that the new Mac Mini will shed its USB-A ports and be almost as small as an Apple TV box. It will be the first major redesign to come to Mini in 14 years (longer At the stage it happened).

The current Mac Mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips has been with us since the early days of 2023, so a new model feels timely. A few of us here are Mac Mini stans, in part because it offers a good value proposition for its performance – at least, if you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

I’m excited to see what a refreshed Mini might look like and if the M4 Pro version leapfrogs the current M2 Pro, but having fewer ports gives me pause. It also seems unlikely that the tiny Mini will have the one thing I really wanted for myself: a built-in SD card slot like the Mac Studio.

The iMac has been working on automation since the machine got its colorful glow in 2021. If the October event brings changes to one of Apple’s computers, it’s possible that we’ll see a drop from the model Last year’s M3 to. the new version of the M4.

The highlight will likely be updated versions of Apple’s Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Keyboard that use USB-C instead of Lightning. It’s one of the last Apple devices still using the Lightning port and feels out of place now that the iPhone has changed (even with the EU’s deadline to move to USB-C approach).

I’m still hoping to upgrade to a larger iMac sometime down the road. Someone wake me up when we finally get the old 32-inch iMac or the resurrection of the iMac Pro.

If Apple has updated tablets in store, the most suitable model for some changes is the iPad Mini. The current 8.3-inch iPad Mini is out in 2021, using the A15 Bionic processor we first saw in the iPhone 13 generation. Maybe it’s time for pilots everywhere to get excited as the smallest iPad ever makes its way up to M-Series chip? Rumors suggest a refresh – the question is whether the Mini steps up to the big leagues with the M4 or is relegated to the M2 which is still kicking like the latest iPad Air. Either way, anything is better than what happened to the smaller iPhones.

There are also rumors that Apple may update the 10.9-inch iPad model to the new 11th generation, but it is unclear whether this update is on the cards this month or sometime early next year. The current version of the Type 10 was launched with a price tag of $449, but Apple corrected course by dropping its price to $349 earlier this year. The 11th version will likely look pretty much the same, though it could be an opportunity for Apple to clean up and improve its messy standards.

The M4 processor debuted five months ago in the latest iPad Pros, and as mentioned above, Apple is expected to announce its latest chips will eventually jump to most Macs in weeks. coming.

But will we see any M4 Max or M4 Ultra chips debut refreshing Mac Studio and Mac Pro? Those pre-designed machines are still in the M2 Max and M2 Ultra, so they have to be updated. But there are no rumors of new models so far. Also, getting new chips everywhere in detail line of Macs at the same time may take a very long time – Apple has a track record of taking things apart.