Apple is a company that likes to act according to plan. The company usually holds events or releases new products at a fixed time each year, and this year is no exception.
At present, the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) event has been successfully concluded, which means that Apple's “schedule” for this year is already halfway through. But for Apple, the second half of the year is the most important, and the most important new products are often released in the second half of the year.
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In the last six months of this year, Apple is expected to launch the following new products.
iPhone 16
There is no doubt that the iPhone 16 series will be the highlight of Apple's new products in the second half of the year. At that time, Apple will launch the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series. At present, this conference is expected to be held in September. Unless something major happens, the time should be certain.
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This time, the major changes in the iPhone 16 series will cover several key areas. Among them, artificial intelligence (AI) may be the most important. This can be proved by the launch of Apple Intelligence during Apple WWDC.
Other changes include the iPhone 16 Pro series being equipped with an A18 chip, an increase in display size, new buttons on Pro models, and the use of new battery technology.
iPad
Apple did not make any substantial updates to the iPad in 2023, which means that a large number of new iPad products may be released in 2024. So far, Apple has launched new iPad products including the new iPad Pro with M4 chip, iPad Air with M2 chip, and the new Apple Pencil Pro.
Still, there could be changes to other models in the iPad lineup before the end of the year.
The base iPad and iPad mini could at least get chip updates, be more powerful, and be able to offer Apple Intelligence features, but little else is known about these models and their potential features.
That being said, rumors suggest that the OLED version of the iPad mini might not be available until after 2024. We might even end up having to wait until 2026 to buy a new iPad mini.
There are even rumors about a foldable iPad. Rumors suggest that the product could be launched in late 2024 or early 2025. There are also reports that the foldable iPad will be available in 2026.
Mac and MacBook
So far, Apple's Mac-only launches in 2024 include an updated MacBook Air in March. This naturally means a lot of new Mac hardware is coming. The new iPad Pro now uses the M4 chip, which also indicates that the upgrade of the entire product catalog is likely to come earlier than expected.
The last time Apple updated the Mac mini was in January 2023, when it launched the M2 and M2 Pro chips. So it seems that the end of 2024 is Apple's first choice for launching an upgraded Mac mini.
The situation is somewhat similar for the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, as they are launched in June 2023 with the M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. However, there is speculation that Apple will skip 2024 and update both products in 2025.
In November 2023, Apple updated the iMac and MacBook Pro series with M3. Considering that Apple updated the MacBook Pro 10 months after the launch of the M2 chip, it is entirely possible that there will be a one-year gap this year.
According to Mark Gurman in April, the launch of an M4-equipped MacBook Pro model in late 2024 is unlikely and may be delayed until early 2025.
But analyst Ross Young recently checked the supply chain information and found that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will have new versions, and their screens are expected to start production in the third quarter of 2024. If the news is reliable,Then we will probably see the release of the new MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter of 2024, just in time for the year-end shopping season.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch has been updated every fall for the past eight years, often alongside new iPhones, and Apple is likely to continue that trend for some time.
The 2024 Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to be more powerful, have a larger display, and a thinner overall body.
There's also the possibility that the Apple Watch Ultra could be updated, although there are questions as to whether or not it will be.
HomePad and AirPods
The HomePod and AirPod product lines are unique for Apple because they don't necessarily warrant a separate launch. However, you would expect them to launch alongside other products. This is especially true for AirPods, which serve as an accessory to the iPhone and will likely be updated at the end of the year.
Analysts have suggested that the AirPods and AirPods Max series will be updated at the end of 2024. This is consistent with Apple's practice in previous years. The expected updates include improved fitment of entry-level and mid-range AirPods, as well as possible USB-C charging cases and “Find My Speaker”. For AirPods Max, it will at least likely include USB-C instead of Lightning connection.
For HomePod and HomePod mini, rumors suggest Apple will launch versions with displays, but touchscreen versions may not be launched until 2024.
For reference, the HomePod mini was launched in November 2020 and has not had a major update in nearly four years. The first-generation HomePod came out in February 2018, but after being discontinued in 2021, the second-generation model came out in February 2023.
We don’t know if HomePod will get an update anytime soon, but there hasn’t been any major news for either model in a while. Apple could surprise everyone with a fall update, but rumors about it are slim at the moment.
September vs October
After the summer celebration of its developer conference, the most noteworthy thing on Apple's schedule is its fall event lineup.
Apple doesn't typically hold media events in July and August. In fact, the last time it did so was in August 2007, when it unveiled its first aluminum iMac.
The September event is famous because that’s when new iPhones are released.
The event traditionally takes place in the first half of September and features not only new iPhones but also a host of other products that Apple hopes to sell during the year-end shopping season.
Apple has also made a habit of holding multiple events in the fall, usually with an October event following September. But this doesn't happen every year, and in the past decade, 2022, 2019, 2017, and 2015 didn't have one.
October activity can often be seen as an “overflow” from September activity.If there are too many new products for the September event, or if there are delays due to production reasons, Apple may choose to postpone the product release to October.
Apple is not limited to just one or two events either. For example, Apple held its third fall event in November 2020 and launched its first Apple Silicon Mac model. However, the epidemic severely disrupted Apple's production at the time, causing it to not launch the iPhone 12 until October.
While Apple is known for holding events, it doesn't necessarily hold one for all of its products. If the improvement to a product category is small, such as a spec update to the MacBook Pro, it might just issue a press release about that change.