Apple has confirmed that it has an “exciting week” of Mac announcements planned starting on Monday. We’re expecting updates to the MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini – alongside the launch of the first Apple Intelligence features.
Here’s everything you need to know about next week.
No additional details are available on the format of next week’s announcements. It’s likely we’ll see a series of press releases throughout the week, possibly accompanied by a few videos. We’ll have to wait to know for sure. Apple has also invited select creators to in-person hands-on events in Los Angeles next week.
New MacBook Pro
Apple is expected to announce new updates to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models next week.
The base model M4 MacBook Pro, which we’ve already gotten a great look at thanks to supply chain leaks, is expected to start with 16GB of RAM for the first time. The machine will also purportedly have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an upgrade from the three ports on the current base M3 model. It’s also rumored to start with a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, up from the M3’s base configuration of an 8-core CPU.
Furthermore, Apple will announce new versions of the higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. We aren’t expecting any major changes to these machines other than the new chips inside.
New iMac
Next up, the 24-inch iMac will also get a spec bump next week. The machine is currently powered by the M3 chip and is expected to get upgraded to the M4 chip with improved performance. The new 24-inch iMac could also feature an upgraded 16GB of RAM and two additional CPU cores, just like the base model M4 MacBook Pro.
New Mac mini
Perhaps most notably, the Mac mini will get a dramatic refresh this month. In addition to being upgraded to the M4 and M4 Pro chips, the Mac mini is getting is biggest redesign in years.
The biggest change is a significant size reduction. The new Mac mini is reportedly “far smaller than its predecessor” and features a form factor similar to the Apple TV. According to the report, the M4 Mac mini’s overall footprint is smaller than the current Mac mini, though it might be slightly taller.
New accessories
Apple is also expected to finally unveil new versions of the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse next week. As we reported on Tuesday, these won’t be dramatic updates. Instead, the focus is on shifting the accessories from Lightning to USB-C for charging.
iOS 18.1 release
In addition to new hardware announcements, Apple has also confirmed that it will release iOS 18.1 with the first Apple Intelligence features next week. This update includes things like Writing Tools, Clean Up in the Photos app, notification summaries, and more.
In addition to iOS 18.1, Apple will also release macOS Sequoia 15.1, iPadOS 18.1, tvOS 18.1, watchOS 11.1, and visionOS 2.1.
Wrap up
Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has described next week as the “biggest news for the Mac since the switch to Apple Silicon.” Whether that pans out remains to be seen, but there’s certainly a lot on the table.
What are you most excited to see Apple announce next week? Are you planning to upgrade to an M4 Mac? Are you excited to try the first Apple Intelligence features? Let us know down in the comments and stay tuned to 9to5Mac for full coverage of everything to expect.
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