What the Rumors Say About Apple’s Mac Plans

If it happens, Apple's next event will be its last major launch of the year. The rumor mill expects Apple to hold their next keynote near the end of October, and according to Mark Gurman, new devices will start shipping on Nov. 1st.

Apple isn't doing a great job at keeping these details under wraps, either. We even have a full device leak in form of the M4 MacBook Pro, something that hasn't happened since the days of the iPhone 4. If you're on the fence of buying a MacBook or Mac mini, you really should hold off until the end of the month.

M4 MacBook Pro, now with 16GB RAM

We have now seen several unboxing videos of the new base model M4 MacBook Pro. This is the most interesting update here, because it looks like the base MacBook Pro will finally shift to 16GB of RAM, along with the upgraded M4 processor. (Currently, only the iPad Pros come with the M4 chip.) Previously MacBook Pros at this price point started with 8GB of RAM, which, while enough for some, was too little memory for many professional uses.

Apple is also adding an extra Thunderbolt port to the right side of this machine, and it will come in Space Black for the first time. (This color was reserved for more expensive Pro models last generation.) At a base price of $1,599, this no longer sounds like a compromise MacBook, especially with the powerful M4 chip. This might even persuade some MacBook Air users to pay the $500 extra for the higher-quality screen, additional RAM, and new design.

Plus, the more expensive MacBook Pros will also get M4 upgrades, but with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.

M4 Mac mini, in a redesigned, smaller form factor

If you own an Apple TV, take a good look at it. The talk of the town is the new Mac mini is going to share a similar form factor to Apple's streaming box. We don't know the dimensions yet, but rumors suggest it will be a much smaller design, with ports at the front for the first time. (This was a big hit with the Mac Studio). We may get 16GB of base RAM here, too, which would make this a seriously powerful and budget-friendly machine. It will ship with M4 and M4 Pro chips.

M4 iMac, with a small bump

The iMac may also be updated with the M4 chip, and 16GB of RAM for the base mode. Other than that, there likely won't be anything new here.

However, it is possible that Apple will finally update the iMac accessories like the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad with USB-C ports instead of Lightning connector. Apple's deadline in the EU for transitioning to USB-C for all its products is rapidly approaching, so it would only make sense for the company to finally make the switch.

iPad mini 7 is out already

The iPad mini was rumored to finally launch at this supposed October event. However, it seems like Apple couldn't wait. In a press release, Apple announced the latest iPad mini, which features the same 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display as the previous model, but now has an A17 Pro chip inside. This is significantly more powerful than the A15 Bionic Chip from the iPad mini 6, which enables this new iPad mini to run Apple Intelligence. The base model, which still costs $499, now has 128GB storage, up from 64GB.

The rumors indicated that Apple will finally fix the "jelly scrolling" issue that plagues the screen in portrait orientation. The right side of the iPad mini 6 display refreshes faster than the left one, so when you're scrolling, you're left with a "jelly" or "wave-like" effect. It wasn't a dealbreaker, but it was a bit of a bummer for such a premium product. We won't know if Apple fixed this issue on the latest mini until we get some hands-on testing time with the unit.

For everything else, there's 2025

Even after the above updates, many of Apple's devices will be left out of the M4 refresh. That's okay: According to Gurman, Apple is slowly moving away from its annual product release cycle, starting with updates to Macs and iPads.

The first half of the year may see M4 upgrades for the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Airs, and the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Airs. Apple may also refresh the iPhone SE, along with new AirTags.

But based on the rumors right now, the Mac Studio with M4 chip won't be out until middle of next year, perhaps by WWDC in June. The Mac Pro may be the last to get the upgrade at the end of 2025.