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

Another round of Apple devices is just around the corner. After launching the iPhone 16 range, new Apple Watches and the AirPods 4 in September, Apple appears to be preparing to launch updated Macs and iPads sometime this month.

We're expecting a new round of chip upgrades, at least one redesign, and maybe a surprise or two in October (the good kind). The official announcements could reach us via 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 at the moment. Regardless of how it happens, here's what we think gets updated and what might not make it.

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

First, we'll expect Apple's writing tools for rewriting, proofreading, and summarizing, plus a redesigned Siri, new Photos app features like Clean Up (similar to Google's Magic Eraser), and live transcriptions of phone calls and voice memos. Other features like ChatGPT search integrations, custom Genmoji emojis, Image Playground generative art, and image search with visual intelligence are expected to “launch later this year and in the months thereafter,” according to Apple.

We first demonstrated these features at WWDC 2024, but until now you had 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 series. On iPads and Macs, Apple Intelligence is rolling out to models with M1 generation or newer processors.

At last year's October event, the focus was on the MacBook Pro range. Chip dents appeared on both the 14-inch and 16-inch models, and Apple introduced a new, slimmed-down 14-inch model that finally killed off the Touch Bar. We don't expect the majority of the lineup to change beyond a transition to the M4 generation, but Apple may have bigger plans for the entry-level 14-inch Pro model. Recent leaks appear to show a 14-inch Space Black Pro with a base M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and a third Thunderbolt port, which would neatly address most of our complaints with the M3 version. But a chip bump is also welcome, especially if you're a bargain hunter who wants to snap up remaining stock of hardware from the soon-to-be-released last generation.

We're expecting a major redesign of Apple's smallest desktop computer – probably to make it even smaller. According to rumors, the new Mac Mini will not only contain new M4 and M4 Pro chips, but will also forego its USB-A ports and be about as small as an Apple TV streaming box. It would be the Mini's first major redesign in about 14 years (longer than). The edge there even already existed).

The current Mac Mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips has been with us since the beginning of 2023, so a new model seems quite contemporary. Some of us here are fans of the Mac Mini, partly because it offers great value for money 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 how much an M4 Pro model will outperform the current M2 Pro, but potentially having fewer ports makes me think. It also sounds unlikely that a smaller Mini would have the only thing I really wanted: a fast built-in SD card slot like the Mac Studio.

The iMac has been running on autopilot since the machine received its colorful glory in 2021. If the October event brings changes to Apple's all-in-one computer, we'll likely just see a bump from last year's M3 model to a fresh M4 version.

The real highlight could be updated versions of Apple's Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard that use USB-C instead of Lightning. They're among the last Apple devices still using the Lightning port, and feel completely out of place after the iPhone's transition (and as the EU deadline for switching to USB-C approaches).

I'm still hoping for a major iMac refresh at some point in the future. Someone wake me up when we finally get the long-rumored 32-inch iMac or a resurrection of the iMac Pro.

When Apple has updated tablets in stock, the iPad Mini is the model most due for some changes. The current 8.3-inch iPad Mini was released back in 2021 and is equipped with the A15 Bionic processor that we first saw in the iPhone 13 generation. Maybe it's time for pilots around the world to rejoice when the smallest iPad gets an M-series chip? Rumors suggest a refresh is on the way – the question is whether the Mini will join the M4 in the big leagues or, like the latest iPad Air, be relegated to the still-powerful M2. Either way, anything is better than what happened with the mini iPhones.

There are also rumors that Apple may update the entry-level 10.9-inch iPad to a new 11th-generation model, but it's not clear whether that update is scheduled for this month or sometime early next year. The current 10th-generation model cost $449, but Apple corrected course and lowered the starting price to $349 earlier this year. An 11th-generation model will likely look very similar, although it could be an opportunity for Apple to clean up and update its messy accessories situation.

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

But will we see M4 Max or M4 Ultra chips debut in updates to the Mac Studio and Mac Pro? These pro-focused machines are still the M2 Max and M2 Ultra, so an upgrade is in order. However, there have been hardly any rumors about new models so far. Plus, getting new chips everywhere entire A whole bunch of Macs all at once might be too far-fetched – Apple has a track record of distributing things all at once.