Apple’s iPhone 16 event was totally devoid of new Macs, and there were some good reasons for that. One of them is that there are expected to be so many Apple computers launching later this year that there simply wouldn’t be enough time for them all at the iPhone show. And now, a new report claims that these new Macs are just around the corner.
Writing in his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has outlined what he expects Apple to release in a potential follow-up event this October. This includes a revamp to a wide range of popular desktop and mobile Macs. Gurman’s predictions are often on the money, so when he suggests these Macs are almost upon us, it’s worth paying attention.
Gurman’s list includes a refresh for the entire MacBook Pro line. That includes a new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip, as well as high-end 14-inch and 16-inch models with “two pro-level M4 chip options,” which will almost certainly be the M4 Pro and M4 Max.
Two desktop Macs are also apparently in line for an update: the iMac and the Mac mini. Both will come with M4 chips, Gurman says, while the Mac mini will continue its trend of offering a stepped-up chip option in the form of the M4 Pro.
That means that not every Mac will be getting an M4 upgrade just yet. Gurman believes that the MacBook Air is queued up for a refresh in the first quarter of 2025, for instance. The Mac Studio will follow “around the middle of next year,” Gurman says, with the Mac Pro making an appearance before the end of 2025.
Even without those devices, Mac fans should still have plenty to look forward to at Apple’s October event. Gurman’s predictions seem to confirm the idea that Apple is moving its Macs toward an annual release schedule, much like it currently does for its iPhones. The MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini were all updated in 2023, while the MacBook Air received a refresh in 2024, meaning Gurman’s predicted release schedule will see them all get an annual overhaul. The Mac Studio and Mac Pro were updated in 2023, so a 2025 upgrade will fall outside the annual time frame, but that’s perhaps unsurprising given that they are high-end machines that Apple typically upgrades on a slower cadence.
Macs aren’t the only devices expected at the October show — Gurman believes that “lower-end iPads” will also be present. Given that the iPad Air and iPad Pro were updated in 2024, it’s likely that Gurman is referring to the base-level iPad and the iPad mini, which were last changed in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
We don’t have a solid date for the October event yet, but looking at past years, a Monday or Tuesday in mid-to-late October seems probable. We can’t be much more accurate than that at the moment — Apple has picked varying weeks for its event in the past — but we’ll probably have a better idea as October nears. Until then, we’ll be keeping our ears to the ground for more news.
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