Photo by Greg Baker
Apple Rumors 2024: What Other Products Is Apple Expected to Announce This Year?
Now that the Vision Pro is out in the world, here’s what we anticipate with other marquee products — iPhones, iPads, Macs and more — Apple has in the works.
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2024 is well underway, and Apple’s most hyped product in years, the Vision Pro, is officially out in the world. But if a $3,500 “spatial computer” isn’t in your price range or primary interest — let’s face it, it’s still pretty niche — the good news is that Apple has a lot more upcoming products in the pipeline.
As is true with any year, Apple is expected to announce next-gen iPhones, Apple Watches and Macs this year. Surprisingly, Apple didn’t announce any new iPads in 2023, so it’s almost guaranteed that we will get a bunch of new tablets in 2024, too. It’s a good bet that Apple will spread the M3 love to the rest of the Mac family. And after nearly four years, we could even see a second-generation version of the AirPods Max.
Typically, Apple has at least one hardware event in the spring (either March or April). Then in early June, at WWDC, it usually has a few hardware surprises. And then the fall is the big time, when Apple has several hardware events and announces the bulk of its new gadgets, including new iPhones and Apple Watches.
Below, we’ve rounded up what to expect from next week’s event as well as rounded up rumors surrounding other Apple devices that could get released before the end of the year.
A New, New Look iPhone SE
The iPhone 13 mini (discontinued, left) and the third-generation iPhone SE (right) are two of the smallest iPhones still available, although you can’t buy the mini from Apple anymore.Photo by Tucker Bowe
The iPhone SE is the most entry-level iPhone and (ever since the mini line got discontinued) the smallest iPhone that Apple currently sells. But Apple hasn’t released a new iPhone SE since March 2022 and is long overdue for an update.
Typically with the iPhone SE, Apple takes the body of an older model and updates its internals. For example, the current iPhone SE (3rd generation) has the same body as the 2017-released iPhone 8, but it has been given a newer A15 Bionic processor and 5G support.
The upcoming iPhone SE (fourth-generation) is expected to have the same body as the 2018-released iPhone XR. If true, it means that Apple will no longer sell any new iPhones with the old-school Home Button as the upcoming iPhone will have Face ID instead. Also, the new iPhone SE will be a little bigger than the previous SE, which is a little unfortunate for those who appreciate a small-sized iPhone.
iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air (2024)
The current M1 iPad Air may get some new siblings this year. Photo by Tucker Bowe
Given that no new iPads were announced last year, most observers believe 2024 will be a big one for Apple tablets. In fact, it seems to be nailed on that Apple is going to introduce new iPad Pros and a new iPad Air — and it could be as early as next month.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple will ring in the changes with the upcoming iPad Pros. The new models will have Apple’s M3 processor, the same one introduced late last year with the 14-inch MacBook Pro. They’ll be bigger and thinner than their 12.9-inch and 11-inch predecessors. Perhaps the biggest news, the new iPad Pros could be the first iPads tablets to have OLED displays.
The upcoming iPad Air will not have Apple’s higher-end M3 processor, but rather an M2 chip (just like Apple’s current MacBook Airs). It’s expected that, for the first time, Apple will introduce the iPad Air in two sizes just like the iPad Pros. This way “size” will be a deciding factor for people deciding between the Air and Pro lines.
M3 MacBook Airs
The new versions of the 15-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch M2 MacBook Air may not look much different.Photo by Tucker Bowe
Apple is expected to release new MacBook Airs in 2024 alongside its new iPads as well. But don’t expect big changes. The new models will likely look identical to the current 13-inch and 15-inch M2 MacBook Airs, with the big change being that they’ll pack Apple’s newer M3 chips. Given the popularity of the Space Black finish that was introduced with last year’s 15-inch Pro, Apple could bring that same finish to the Air as well.
iPhone 16
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have to do for now, as iPhone 16 rumors are still few and far between.Photo by Tucker Bowe
We’re still a long ways away from Apple revealing its iPhone 16 lineup in the fall and rumors are admittedly pretty scarce. As in years past, it’s expected for Apple to announce four models, two non-Pros and two Pros, with the biggest news being that the Pro models will have slightly bigger displays. Instead of 6.1- and 6.7-inch sizes, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro Max are rumored to be 6.3- and 6.9-inches, respectively. If true, this will mark the first time in several years that Apple’s two non-Pro and two Pro iPhones will be different sizes.
Just like last year (and the year before that), Apple is expected to bring many of last year’s Pro features to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. This means that the Action Button will be on all iPhone 16 models.
Apple Watch
Apple is expected to announce next-gen models of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 (pictured).Photo by Tucker Bowe
It’s been a pretty turbulent few months for the Apple Watch — the Series 9 and Ultra 2 have both been banned, not banned, and now “modified” to prevent them from using the blood oxygen feature — so it’s going to be really interesting to see what Apple has in store for its next-gen models.
As per usual, we expect to see a Series 10 and a third-generation Apple Watch Ultra, both of which will look similar to their predecessors but have a new processor. Given that Apple has released a new Apple Watch SE in several years, we expect a new SE model, too.
AirPods Max 2
After nearly four years, we could see a second-gen version of Apple’s noise-canceling headphones.Photo by Tucker Bowe
Another product that is long overdue for an update: AirPods Max. These elite noise-canceling headphones were released in late 2020, but Apple hasn’t come up with a second-generation model. And, unfortunately, the AirPods Max feel a bit dated in 2024. They don’t support the newest features that are available in AirPods Pro — such as Adaptive Audio, Personalized Volume and Conversation Awareness — because they don’t have Apple’s H2 chipset. And they still charge via Lightning instead of USB-C.
According to top tech trend tracker Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on next-generation AirPods Max, but they aren’t expected to be announced until late 2024 or even early 2025. They will likely support a new chipset and USB-C charging. They could even, as spotted by Patently Apple, support on-ear cup haptic playback controls.
iPad mini (2024)
Apple hasn’t released a new iPad Mini in several years.Photo by Tucker Bowe
The current sixth-generation iPad Mini was released in fall 2021, nearly two-and-a-half years ago, and it is starting to feel dated. There haven’t been as many rumblings when it comes to a new iPad mini as Apple’s other iPads, however. If Apple does release a seventh-generation iPad mini, don’t expect a big redesign. It’s expected that this 7th-generation iPad mini will get a new A16 processor (same as the iPhone 15 line) and thinner bezels but nothing too drastic.