It’s that time of the year again, and Apple is gearing up to unveil the goodies it’s been working on. There are a lot of rumours out there about what we can expect to see at Apple’s event on September 9th beyond the obvious iPhone 16 launch, and quite a few parts of the Apple ecosystem are due a refresh.
Plus, with the AI apocalypse looming, we can expect to learn quite a bit more about how Apple’s version, Apple Intelligence, will stack up against the competition. With any luck Apple learned from the mistakes of Google and won’t dedicate 80 per cent of its event to AI, but we’ll see.
Either way, we’re excited about what’s coming, and there’s enough to get you excited as well: so let’s fall down the rabbit hole together.
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1. iPhone 16 and 16 Pro
Let’s start with an easy one. September is when Apple traditionally showcases the new iPhone line-up, so we can expect to see a new iPhone 16 at the event, and we’ll get a good look at the apparent A18 Bionic CPU that will power it. The A18 is said to power the entire lineup (unlike the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro running on the A16 and A17 respectively) likely due to the fact that it will enable the phones to integrate Apple Intelligence into daily usage.
As for that lineup, rumours suggest that Apple will launch the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
These phones will allegedly all adopt the ‘Action Button’–a small button introduced into the iPhone 15 Pro which can be programmed to do a lot of things on your phone at the press of a button. There will also be a ‘Capture Button’, which will be used exclusively to take photos, according to MacRumours.
Beyond the base- and pro-level refreshes, Apple’s more affordable option the iPhone SE is also due an upgrade, and with the cost of living hitting people around the world it makes sense to refresh your cheapest model. There are rumours that this refresh is coming, though maybe not until 2025.
2. MacBook Pro and ‘MacBook Fold’
Now for some speculation because while Apple doesn’t typically release their new MacBook Pros in September, they’re certainly due for an upgrade before the end of 2024.
The MacBook Pro is likely to get a significant boost this year, with the M4 chip pushing the laptop up-to-date with the business’ high-end products. There’s also rumours of a ‘thinner’ version of the MacBook Pro in development based on the iPad Pro, but we’re not expecting to see the ‘MacBook Pro Air’ this year.
Another rumour we really want to believe is that Apple has been working on a foldable notebook that we’re calling the ‘MacBook Fold’, which will be able to function as a laptop when folded, or a monitor when unfolded and paired with a keyboard and mouse. It’s even less likely that we’ll see this thing until 2026, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said on Medium, but we’re hoping for a sneak peek in September.
3. Apple Watch Series 10 and SE
Like the iPhone, Apple traditionally release’s it’s new Apple Watch lineup in September and, with Google and Samsung recently launching their own updated smart watches, it’ll be launching into a more crowded marketplace than the original did nine years ago.
It’s not yet clear how the Apple Watch Series 10 will differentiate itself from the competition, or the currently available Apple Watch Series 9, but you can bet that it’ll have something to do with Apple Intelligence.
It’s also very likely that we’ll see an update of the lower-cost Apple Watch SE. Rumours from Bloomberg point to the next SE being built from plastic instead of aluminium to keep costs down, and that it may have a slightly larger display.
4. AirPods 4
Apple’s take on wireless earphones is due for a pretty major change, with the business likely to launch two versions of the product at once in late 2024. The more expensive version is said to not be an ‘AirPods 4 Pro’, but rather a third variant between the base AirPod and the Pro, and will launch with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
It’s likely that audio quality will be improved compared to prior versions, and that the charging case will be equipped with a USB-C port rather than the phased-out Lightning technology.
5. iPad and iPad Mini
Yes, Apple’s iPad Air and iPad Pro refreshes launched earlier this year, but the business’ smaller variant, the iPad Mini, hasn’t been updated since 2021. It’s very likely, as far as we’re concerned, that we’ll see a new version of the smaller tablet packed with the business’ A17 or A18 processor, alongside improved Wi-Fi bandwidth and Bluetooth functionality.
With any luck, this upgrade will come with an OLED screen, following on from the recent Air and Pro launches, which would improve the display’s colour profile significantly.
There are also rumours of an updated base-level iPad, which hasn’t been refreshed since 2022. If it does make an appearance, it’ll likely have similar hardware to the iPad Mini but in a larger display–differentiating it from the Air and Pro models–but at a more modest price.
6. iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio
Apple’s all-in-one desktop solution, the iMac, is expected to be refreshed with the M4 processor for launch in late 2024, with a particular focus on integrating AI into its workflow. It’s likely that this will be a 24’’ model, with Apple having previously said it has no plans for another 27’’ iMac.
The Mac Mini is also getting a sizable upgrade this year, jumping from the M2 and M2 Pro processors to the significantly more powerful M4 and M4 Pro. It’ll also be comparable to the Apple TV in terms of sizing, according to MacRumours, and will feature three USB-C ports at the back alongside a power input and HDMI port.
When it comes to Apple’s more powerful desktop products, the Mac Pro and Mac Studio, reports from Bloomberg point to a 2025 refresh–though that doesn’t mean we won’t see them announced at the Glowtime event. It’s likely the desktops will integrate more powerful M4 variants, such as the M4 Ultra, Extreme, or Max, which will give the Pro and Studio a significant bump in power.
Anything Else?
Beyond hardware, we’re likely to get a good look at iOS 18 and MacOS Sonoma at the next Apple event, both of which are to heavily integrate Apple’s AI, Apple Intelligence, into almost every facet of their operations. It’s very likely that we’re going to get a good, deep look into how Apple Intelligence will work with each of the products announced, as well as some of Apple’s capable prior-generation gadgets.
We’ll be watching the event next week, and will be sure to update this page with everything announced!
