M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips.

apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Apple plans to announce the first M4 Macs and new lower-end iPads at its next event "in the coming weeks." He expects the MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini to be updated with the M4 series of chips this year, followed by the MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro throughout 2025. He said some of the first M4 Macs are already shipping from factories.

Gurman expects the following products to be updated at Apple's next event, which he previously said would take place in October.

MacBook Pro

m3 mbp space black
Apple plans to announce updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips at its next event, according to Gurman. No design changes have been rumored for the laptops this year, with improvements such as an OLED display and thinner design not expected until 2026 at the earliest.

Apple last redesigned the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2021, and the latest models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips were released last October.

iMac

M4 iMac Feature Teal
Apple also plans to update the iMac with the M4 chip at the event, according to Gurman.

Will the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad trio of accessories for the iMac finally switch from Lightning to USB-C this year?

Mac mini

M4 Mac mini Black Ortho Cooler
Gurman expects the Mac mini to be updated with M4 and M4 Pro chips at the event, and he previously said the desktop computer will be redesigned to become nearly as small as an Apple TV. The new Mac mini will apparently lack USB-A ports.

iPad mini

ipad mini 2021 youtube
Gurman previously said he expects a seventh-generation iPad mini to be unveiled at the event.

Rumored features for the next iPad mini include a faster chip, upgraded front and rear cameras, a fix for "jelly scrolling" screen tearing in portrait orientation, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, and new color options.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the next iPad mini would enter mass production in the second half of 2024, so there is agreement from multiple credible sources about the device being updated later this year.

Apple released the current iPad mini in September 2021, with new features at the time including a larger 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G support on cellular models, a 12-megapixel rear camera with Center Stage support, compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and more.

Entry-level iPad

Gurman today said "new, lower-end iPads" plural will be unveiled at the event, so there may be an iPad 11 too.

Related Roundups: iMac, iPad, iPad mini, MacBook Pro, Mac mini
Related Forums: iMac, iPad, MacBook Pro, Mac mini

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
14 weeks ago
Are we really excited about a Mac Mini physical size reduction? I see that like a new tattoo- "oooooh, ahhhhhh" at first glance and then the reaction is fully realized. Then you just live with it.

We're seemingly cheering on a smaller-size desktop that (relative size) probably matters to nearly no one and besides the price likely being at least as high, we're also paying for that smaller size with the loss of a couple of (still) useful ports (in 2024).

Wouldn't we be just as excited if Apple was refreshing the Mac mini form factor as is? Still getting M4 and M4PRO... but keeping ALL of the ports and no "what if" concerns about temperature, ejected power supply, ethernet via power supply(?), and so on.

I think it's great that an updated Mac Mini is probably about to hit. But physical size of it seems towards nothing (or even negative) to me. I have a Mini and have NEVER once thought how much better it would be if it was a smaller physical size with less ports. But maybe others have some kind of problem fitting the existing Mini somewhere and need an AppleTV-sized Mac with fewer ports. If so, good for you.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gank41 Avatar
14 weeks ago
I'm having a hard time upgrading from this M1 MBP. Other than going for a bunch of Memory and maybe doubling my Storage Space, this thing has still proven to be a workhorse. I frequently record a band with Logic Pro, edit Videos in Final Cut Pro, and also use it for work mainly with Citrix and the MS Office apps. Sometimes I'll have all my work apps open along with a Windows VM, and everything works great. I think what might do me in is needing more Storage Space and not being able to upgrade.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theluggage Avatar
14 weeks ago

What's there to update with the studio display?
How about the things that users of many half-decent displays costing a fraction of the price take for granted?

* secondary DisplayPort/HDMI input so you can use it with consoles, streaming boxes, raspberry pis, PCs.
* Proper detachable IEC mains cable
* VESA mounting build in as standard (it's just 4 threaded holes for pity's sake!) without having to order a special version that comes without any stand.
* Height-adjustable stand as standard

More debatable, but still:

* 3:2 ratio screen. Better for everything except watching TV (if I wanted a TV, I'd buy a TV)
* Lower-cost, but matching, "just the display" version for people who just want a display (or maybe a dual display setup) for their Mini/Studio and don't want to pay for a deluxe MacBook dock with an expensive sound system and 90W MacBook charging (that massive slimline power supply...).

However, big problem is that, for that price, I'd want it to still be one of the best displays around in 7 years time (just like my 2017 5k iMac is) - but I suspect that newer/better display tech (miniLED, microLED, OLED...) is now just around the corner.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ridgero Avatar
14 weeks ago
I think the Mac mini is the perfect personal computer for most people out there.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
14 weeks ago
M4 Mini is a day 1 purchase! Take my money!

Must resist M4 16" MBP. M1 is still working perfectly.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ShadowJamie Avatar
14 weeks ago
The rumored 2026 MacBook’s OLED display and slimmer design are definitely worth waiting for.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)