The year is well underway, and Apple’s most hyped product in some time, the Vision Pro, is officially out in the world. However, it’s not the only product in the pipeline.
As is true with any year, we expect Apple to announce next-gen iPhones, Apple Watches and Macs in 2024. Apple didn’t announce any new iPads in 2023, so the odds are in favor of a slew of new tablets. It’s also 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.
We’re waiting for more than hardware. This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is officially scheduled for June 10, and rumors are swirling about a potential leap into AI for the Cupertino company.
What does that mean? And what other marquee products does Apple have up its sleeve? Here’s everything we know — and a few guess for good measure.
Operating Systems Powered by AI
AppleIt’s a date. The 2024 WWDC is scheduled for June 10, and while you shouldn’t expect a ton of hardware updates (marquee devices like the iPhone are usually left for the fall), there’s plenty of reason to expect this year’s conference to be a big one for Apple.
The company is reportedly spending millions a day on its AI strategy, and rumors are swirling around a potential partnership with Google and the Chinese company Baidu that would fast-track Apple’s ability to bring AI features to the iPhone.
No matter what, we should expect an early look at iOS 18, as well as updates for the operating systems that power devices beyond the iPhone, including MacOS, iPadOS and VisionOS.
A Cheaper iPhone
The SE is Apple’s entry-level iPhone and, ever since the mini line was discontinued, it’s 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)
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 and latest MacBook Airs. 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.
iPhone 16
We’re still a ways away from Apple revealing its iPhone 16 lineup in the fall and rumors are admittedly pretty scarce.
As in years past, Apple will likely 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.
There is some speculation that Apple will retire the Blue Titanium color of the iPhone 15 Pro and replace it with a new rose color, similar to what was previously available on older generations of the iPhone. The Natural Titanium may also be slightly more gray and renamed to Titanium Gray.
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
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
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)
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.