These New Macs Are Coming in 2024

It's almost September, but Apple still has multiple new product launches planned for 2024. New iPhone 16 models and Apple Watches are coming in September, and we're also going to get at least three Mac updates with M4 chips this year, according to rumors.

M4 Mac mini Silver Ortho Cooler
Here's what's on the horizon.

MacBook Pro

Apple plans to refresh both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4 chips. The ‌MacBook Pro‌ lineup was last updated in October 2023, so the machines are due for a yearly refresh.

Apple did away with the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ last year, so there's now an entry-level 14-inch model, and that's what's going to get the standard M4 chip that was used in the iPad Pro.

Middle tier and higher-end 14-inch models will get the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, as will the 16-inch models. The M4 chips are built on the 3-nanometer process, but compared to the M3 chips, they have improved performance, efficiency, and AI capabilities. Apple introduced a new, more powerful Neural Engine.

There are no design updates expected for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models this year, with Apple focusing on internal improvements. Specifically, the M4 chip will be the star of the upgrade, and Apple is aiming to get its entire Mac lineup on the same M4 chip series across 2024 and 2025.

Mac mini

Unlike the ‌MacBook Pro‌, Apple does have a design refresh planned for the Mac mini. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the ‌Mac mini‌ will be Apple's smallest computer to date, even smaller than the prior-generation version.

It is expected to be around the size of the Apple TV, though it will be thicker than the ‌Apple TV‌ and the current ‌Mac mini‌, which is 1.4 inches tall. The machine will continue to be made from aluminum, just in an overall smaller package.

Apple has tested ‌Mac mini‌ models that have at least three USB-C ports, along with an HDMI port and a power cable.

Apple plans to use the M4 and M4 Pro chips for the ‌Mac mini‌ models, and since these never got an M3 update, they'll go from M2 to M4 and will see some notable performance improvements.

iMac

The 24-inch iMac is also expected to see an update this year, going from the M3 chip to the M4 chip. Design changes are not rumored for the ‌iMac‌, so we can expect to see the same 24-inch display with multiple color options.

Apple is still exploring a version of the iMac with a larger ~30-inch display, but an ‌iMac‌ with a bigger display is not expected in 2024, and it's not clear if it will come in 2025, either.

Possible Launch Timeline

Apple does not typically unveil Macs at its September events, which focus on the iPhone and the Apple Watch. We're expecting Apple to hold an event around September 10 to unveil new ‌iPhone 16‌ models, but Macs will likely come later in the year.

When Apple has Macs to unveil around fall, it often introduces the machines in October or November. Last year, for example, Apple held a Mac-centric event in October to refresh the ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌iMac‌. October/November events aren't as consistent as ‌iPhone‌ events, so nailing down a target date is tougher. Apple has held second fall events on these dates in the past:

  • October 30, 2023 - Scary Fast event with ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌iMac‌.
  • October 18, 2021 - Unleashed event with new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models and AirPods 3.
  • November 10, 2020 - One More Thing event with M1 MacBook Air, ‌Mac mini‌, and ‌MacBook Pro‌.
  • October 30, 2018 - Apple refreshed the ‌MacBook Air‌, ‌Mac mini‌, and ‌iPad Pro‌.
  • October 27, 2016 - Apple unveiled a new ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌Apple TV‌ app.

Apple could also skip an event and unveil the new Macs with a press release, though the small event we got last year for the M3 ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌iMac‌ models could be repeated in 2024.

Macs Coming in 2025

While the ‌MacBook Pro‌, ‌iMac‌, and ‌Mac mini‌ are expected to get the M4 chip before the end of the year, M4 updates for the ‌MacBook Air‌, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro won't be happening until 2025.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...

Top Rated Comments

coffeemilktea Avatar
8 months ago

The 24-inch iMac is also expected to see an update ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/09/m4-macbook-pro-mac-mini-imac-2024/') this year, going from the M3 chip to the M4 chip. Design changes are not rumored for the iMac, so we can expect to see the same 24-inch display with multiple color options.

Apple is still exploring a version of the iMac ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/14/apple-still-working-on-larger-imac/') with a larger ~30-inch display, but an iMac with a bigger display is not expected in 2024, and it's not clear if it will come in 2025, either.
I hope Apple can "explore" putting 16 GB of RAM in the base model iMac while they're at it... there's something wrong with having only 8 GB of RAM in a $1299 desktop when you can find Android phones with 16 GB of RAM on Amazon for $500 or less. ?
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
edrozenberg Avatar
8 months ago
Don't care if the Mac miniii is any smaller, just want it to lose NO ports. Currently the mini pro has built-in power supply, Ethernet w/10GBe as option, 4 Thunderbolt/USB-C, HDMI, 2 old-style USB, headphones. Every single one of these ports is super useful and needed. If they make it smaller hopefully they'll have two rows of ports to fit them all in, and keep the internal power supply. If they move to an external power supply that will be terrible.



Attachment Image
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidSchaub Avatar
8 months ago

I hope Apple can "explore" putting 16 GB of RAM in the base model iMac while they're at it... there's something wrong with having only 8 GB of RAM in a $1299 desktop when there you can find Android phones with 16 GB of RAM on Amazon for $500 or less. ?
I would still bet on Apple only increasing the base RAM up to 12 GB :/
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
8 months ago

I hope Apple can "explore" putting 16 GB of RAM in the base model iMac while they're at it... there's something wrong with having only 8 GB of RAM in a $1299 desktop when you can find Android phones with 16 GB of RAM on Amazon for $500 or less. ?
The "wrong" is called Apple wants to be richer than their "richest company in the world" title they often hold already... and fattening the margin greatly helps with that. FYI: traditional "high" Apple margin was about 38%-40% for many years vs. current margin throughout the "inflation/supply chain/covid" period evolving towards 50% and will probably be there in the next year or two.

Android product makers don't necessarily seek so much margin. Apple gets away with it because "we" seem willing to just pay towards anything and then rationalize all contributing variables (like undersized RAM in 2024 to each other). Android probably couldn't get away with "just pay anything" pricing because Android buyers either WOULDN'T "just pay" and/or has many competing Android offerings to pressure price & margin DOWN. One way they can woo more buyers is up their specs and sharpen their pencil on margin... which means more of the money buying that device is going towards the device instead of scalped away to the cash vaults.

This setup works just fine for AAPL. We Apple consumers enable such things by opting to "buy anyway" and "pay anything" to do so. They get heavily rewarded in many ways for opting for "too little base RAM in 2024" and similar. If consumers as a group would vote "NO" on 8GB base (by NOT buying 8GB Macs), Apple would very quickly up the RAM. But instead, we gripe/moan/complain and then buy anyway. They earn their bonuses. Wall Street applauds "another record quarter...". Media refers to them as genius business people. Etc.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MistrSynistr Avatar
8 months ago
After you buy a gazillion Mac desktops you slowly realize all you need is a MacBook Pro with a monitor. Happens to us all at different stages.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
8 months ago
It's ridiculous that we're more than halfway through 2024, and Mac accessories are still stuck with Lightning connectors. Hopefully, the USB-C versions will arrive with the next Mac mini, but realistically, we'll probably have to wait until the 2025 Mac Studio refresh
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)