Apple is readied for an entire week of M4 Mac announcements
by Malcolm Owen · AppleInsiderLast updated 1 minute ago
Apple will introduce a number of new products over Halloween week, with the focus being on new Mac updates with M4.
Following Apple's "Glowtime" event in September, there was the expectation that another event will be on the horizon. Given the lack of discussion of Mac products, as well as iPad updates, during September's announcements, a second presentation for the remaining catalog was widely anticipated.
Apple has since confirmed that new products are on the way, but not via an event. Instead, it plans a week of announcements, starting from October 28.
Unlike the usual event graphics, it's pretty obvious that Apple is communicating that it will be a Mac-heavy week. For a start, Greg Joswiak's post to X starts "Mac your calendars!."
The animation itself also starts off with the face icon of Finder, before morphing into the Apple logo. It also uses the same "Glowtime" aesthetic, hinting at Apple Intelligence, which also runs on Apple Silicon Macs.
This is what is expected to be introduced by Apple during that week.
Mac mini, iMac, MacBook Pro
Ever since the introduction of the M4 varieties of iPad Pro, there has been demand for Apple to do the same for its Apple Silicon Mac models. Without any changes since M3, there's a lot that Apple could change.
Arguably the biggest update it could make is to the Mac mini, if rumors are to be believed. An update is expected soon, with the Mac mini getting a long overdue refresh.
That could include a new smaller form factor that shifts away from its squarish aluminum puck design for something even sleeker. There's even talk of it having five USB Type-C ports instead of USB-A versions.
Alongside the Mac mini, the desktop Macs could also see an update to the iMac. The 24-inch model was last updated to M3 in November 2023, but an update to M4 wouldn't be out of the question.
There have been rumors about Apple creating a larger design of iMac, possibly with a 32-inch display. Whether that comes to fruition is questionable, as there would usually be more rumors about a change as the world marches closer to the expected launch.
A more obvious change would be to the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro. Updated in fall 2023, a one-year gap between updates would be reasonable for some of the most popular Mac options in the catalog.
iPad
While Apple's week-long event announcement is extremely Mac-centric, there is a small chance that Apple could announce other things. That could include the base iPad model.
The iPad hasn't been updated for quite some time. The last time it was refreshed was in the fall of 2022.
Rumors haven't said much about the base-grade iPad's updates, the most likely change will be a spec-bump update to a more modern chip. This makes sense as Apple would want to bring Apple Intelligence to as many devices as possible, and that would include the iPad.
Unlikely announcements
While there are certainly things that could be announced by Apple, there's a list of products that may not necessarily arrive either.
For example, since Apple already updated the iPad Pro and iPad Air earlier in 2024, another update months later is very unlikely.
Apple has also updated the iPad mini, with a seventh-gen model introduced in the middle of October via a press release.
On the Mac side, rumors say that the MacBook Air line won't get an update until spring 2025 at the earliest.
When it comes to the heavy-hitters, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, there's more band news. The rumor mill firmly believes that they could arrive in late 2025.
8 Comments
mikeeisenburger 2 comments · 9 Years 🧟
About 3 hours ago
Really only interested in the Mac Studio. No other machines support enough RAM.
mike1 3421 comments · 10 Years ☠️
About 3 hours ago
Fingers crossed for an updated Apple TV as well. Looking to buy another but been holding off anticipating an update.
9secondkox2 3079 comments · 8 Years 🧟
About 2 hours ago
No more “band” news please. Looks like great news next week.
And who knows about M4 ultra.
If that doesn’t show up next week, then my bet is Apple will launch those as the FIRST of the m5 gen next year at 2nm. iMac Pro/Mac Pro.
Really curious to see how m4 max performs in shipping products. I think it’s going to be a really big deal.
keithw 147 comments · 20 Years 👻
About 2 hours ago
mikeeisenburger said:
Really only interested in the Mac Studio. No other machines support enough RAM.
At the very least they should release an M4 Studio Max immediately, especially since there was never an M3 Studio Max. Waiting for the "Ultra" chip to be available seems unnecessary. I neither need nor want an M4-based MacBook Pro. I'm trying to replace my aging 2017 iMac Pro, which has served me well for the last 7 years. But my M4 iPad Pro can outperform it! The "current" MBP is $6000 with maximum core count, 128GB of RAM, and 4TB of disk. I'm guessing the new one will be similarly priced.
mpantone 2178 comments · 18 Years ☠️
About 1 hour ago
It is extremely unlikely that we will see any products next week utilizing the M4 Max or M4 Ultra SoCs. It is crystal clear that Apple Engineering (both hardware and software) doesn't have the bandwidth to launch all four variants at the same time or in quick succession.
Furthermore there are usually some hints when a new CPU is incoming: Geekbench results with mysterious device IDs, references in beta versions of the operating system, etc. There are no such teasers for the Max and Ultra variants of the M4 silicon at this point.
Other tech media sites (Bloomberg is one) have speculated that the M4 MacBook Air is coming in Q1 2025 with the Mac Studio to follow later. A good bet would be for the Mac Studio with M4 Max SoC to be announced at WWDC 2025 in June.
Another thing not to expect would be any drastic price cuts. It's not like TSMC's latest and greatest node is some sort of bargain offering. Tech media has repeatedly reported wafer price increases. Apple will be pass this along to customers, it's not like they are going to take a major hit to gross margins.
I also doubt the unveiling of a new Apple TV next week. I'm not sure what new silicon would bring to the table. Maybe a couple of minor features but certainly nothing major like a resolution increase. 8K video for consumer devices still isn't here yet even though NHK Japan has been doing terrestrial broadcasts for several years. An Apple TV that does 8K video probably won't come until the FCC migrates to 8K terrestrial broadcasts for US television stations.