Apple confirms exciting Mac announcements this week: here’s what to expect
Next week looks pretty stacked in terms of new Mac devices. But just what should you expect? Here's what you need to know
UPDATE: Apple has kicked off its Mac announcements with a new iMac – get full details here. The new model is the same design as before but with the latest M4 chip and USB-C peripherals.
A new, smaller Mac mini has now been announced, too, available with M4 or M4 Pro processors.
Plus iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 are now available with Apple Intelligence for those of you in the US. UK users will get Apple Intelligence from December.
Original article continues below
We’ve had a good few announcements from Apple this year. The latest iPhones came out as per usual, we got the first new iPads in a few years, and then a surprise iPad mini refresh. But there’s more to come: Macs.
Apple has confirmed that this week there will be multiple exciting Mac announcements. It’s something I can’t help but dub “Mac week”. It doesn’t look like there’s an event per se, but Apple has reportedly scheduled media demos for new hardware. So we know that we should expect new devices.
But what else should we expect from Apple? Here are all the exciting Mac announcements you should expect during “Mac week” this week.
What Mac announcements should you expect this week?
For starters, we’re pretty confident that macOS 15.1 (part of macOS Sequoia) will make its public appearance. iOS 18.1 is slated for a release on October 28, and we expect the next major Mac update to follow suit. There are plenty of upgrades inbound, most notably of which is Apple Intelligence. The tech giant’s AI feature set is finally arriving, after the software first landed in September.
Apple’s flagship MacBook Pro laptop is due the M4 treatment, and leaked units are already making the rounds. For starters, the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro is stepping up to 16GB of RAM as standard. It’ll also feature a 10-core CPU and GPU combo, compared to the 8-core CPU on the M3. Port-wise, not much has changed – it’s still rocking three Thunderbolt 4 ports, but they’re hyped as an upgrade.
If you’ve got a bit more cash to splash, the higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models will come with the beefier M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. Expect faster performance, a few extra cores, and the same sleek, shiny design. Nothing radical, but still enough to make your existing MacBook feel ancient. We saw leaked videos of these devices crop up, which Apple admitted were stolen. So we know exactly what to expect here.
The iMac has been living a quiet life since its M3 upgrade, but it’s about to get a little bit livelier. The 24-inch model is set for a bump to the M4 chip, with a boost to 16GB of RAM and two additional CPU cores. No major design changes are on the cards, so if you were hoping for a larger 27-inch model or a new colour, you’ll have to keep dreaming.
But the Mac mini is due to be the biggest new device, with its most dramatic refresh in years. According to Bloomberg, it’s going to be much spall – think Apple TV-sized. It’s still unclear how they’re packing all that M4 or M4 Pro power into a smaller box, but I think you should expect it to get taller (think Mac Studio). We don’t know what’s happening with the port situation. Let’s hope Apple doesn’t go overboard with the minimalism and strip it down too much. Apple leaker Jon Prosser showed off renders of this redesigned Mac mini in full. And given the MacBook Pro leak, we wouldn’t be surprised if this is accurate.
Whether you’re eyeing a new MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac mini, you’ll likely have to shell out more than you’d like. Still, with the promise of faster performance and sleeker designs, it’s just the kind of upgrade you’d expect Apple to drop at this time of year. Keep your eyes peeled this week, and maybe start prepping that old Mac for trade-in.
Connor Jewiss
