It seems like Apple isn’t solely carried out with 2023 but, with a brand new report suggesting that an October occasion is certainly within the playing cards.
After final week’s quiet debut of a brand new USB-C Apple Pencil — which got here amidst sketchy experiences that we’d see new iPads — we’d nearly given up on something thrilling coming from Apple this month, particularly since dependable sources gave the impression to be ruling out any new iPads or Macs till early 2024 on the soonest.
Nevertheless, whereas iPads nonetheless aren’t prone to be on the desk, there have been some current murmurings about new Macs making an look. A number of of us famous final week that the wait occasions for customized 24-inch iMac configurations had been rising, which led some to imagine that this might herald the introduction of a brand new iMac. Nonetheless, it was tough to deduce an excessive amount of from that, as normal iMac configurations had been nonetheless delivery on schedule, and it’s removed from the primary time that configure-to-order fashions have been pushed again; in actual fact, the identical factor occurred final fall.
Nonetheless, it seems like Apple could certainly have one thing up its sleeve, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman sharing over the weekend that Apple is planning to launch at the very least one new Mac on the finish of this month.
In his Energy On publication, Gurman notes that he’s been “instructed that Apple is planning a Mac-centered product launch across the finish of this month,” and whereas he has no particular information on what we’ll see, he believes it’s prone to be the 24-inch iMac that he spoke of in March — a prediction that he doubled down on in the summertime with an October timeframe.
It is smart, because the 24-inch iMac is nicely overdue for a refresh. It acquired a big redesign in early 2021 as the primary Apple silicon-powered desktop however has been largely uncared for since then. In mid-2022, Gurman famous that the iMac would doubtless skip the M2 chip and go straight to an M3, so we haven’t actually been anticipating an replace prior to now, however there have been experiences the M3 must be prepared by this level — there are even indications Apple is already testing the extra highly effective M3 Max.
In response to Gurman, Apple really was engaged on the a lot rumored larger-screened “iMac Professional” however ended up placing it on the again burner as a result of “price issues.”
This was by no means the plan. Apple had aimed to launch a bigger, pro-focused iMac quickly after the 24-inch iMac launched. Below the unique highway map, you’d have seen the M1 24-inch iMac, then an M2-based iMac Professional and, lastly, a 24-inch iMac refresh.
Mark Gurman
Though some believed that Apple had changed the iMac Professional with the Mac Studio and Studio Show, plainly was simply the results of Apple adjusting expectations when its imaginative and prescient for the next-generation iMac Professional didn’t pan out. Nevertheless, newer experiences recommend it’s nonetheless coming, however doubtless not earlier than the top of 2024.
What May Be Coming Subsequent Week?
Gurman has dependable info {that a} new Mac is coming and predicts that an occasion will doubtless be held on Oct 30 or Oct 31 to remain prematurely of Apple’s quarterly earnings name that’s being held on November 2 — a uncommon time that it’s been pushed into the primary week in November.
Nevertheless, Gurman doesn’t have any particular perception into precisely what Apple will announce, at the very least not past some well-educated guesses.
A New 24-inch iMac?
It’s undoubtedly a incontrovertible fact that inventory ranges for the iMac and MacBook Professional seem like dwindling at Apple’s retail shops. This isn’t true of all configurations; many normal off-the-shelf ones are delivery inside 2-3 days on the most, however these are stock fashions already in Apple’s warehouses. Customise a 24-inch iMac in any means — even swap the keyboard or mouse out or ask for Ultimate Lower Professional to be preinstalled — and ship dates will slide into mid-November on the soonest.
The identical holds true for the 13-inch MacBook Professional, which was up to date in June 2022 with an M2 chip. Nevertheless, even a number of normal configurations of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional have already slid into late November. Granted, these fashions are dearer to supply, extra typically personalized, and sure in decrease demand, all of which suggests Apple could hold fewer normal configurations in inventory, nevertheless it’s nonetheless uncommon to see them sliding again this far.
A New M3 Max MacBook Professional?
In August, we noticed proof that Apple was already testing an M3 Max MacBook Professional, which factors to the likelihood that we may see a refresh of these higher-end fashions.
It might be uncommon since Apple already refreshed these with the M2 Professional and M2 Max chips in January, nevertheless it’s additionally not out of the query. Gurman reported just lately that Apple has “made headway on new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Execs,” however it will be odd for an M3 Professional/Max chip to reach earlier than the baseline M3 reveals up.
Gurman nonetheless doesn’t anticipate that we’ll see new M3 MacBook Air fashions till someday in 2024, and it will make sense for Apple to carry these again for a bit longer, particularly because it’s simply launched a 15-inch M2-powered MacBook Air. It’s too quickly to refresh that with an M3 chip, and following it up with smaller, M3-powered variations could be odd. It appears extra doubtless Apple will simply wait till it’s able to equip the complete MacBook Air sequence with M3 silicon.
Nevertheless, much less has been heard on any entrance about Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Professional — the Contact Bar-equipped mannequin that sits in an odd spot between the Air and Professional lineups. Because the introduction of Apple silicon three years in the past, Apple has up to date that in lockstep with the MacBook Air, however there’s no rule that it has to maintain doing so.
In different phrases, it’s definitely potential it may launch a wholly new MacBook Professional lineup — 13-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch fashions — as its means of debuting the entire new M3 chip household in a single fell swoop. The 13-inch MacBook Professional would get the baseline M3 chip, whereas the 14-inch and 16-inch fashions would get the upgraded M3 Professional and M3 Max chips.
Both means, we’re simply making a few of the identical educated guesses that Gurman is, as no one however Apple is aware of for positive. It’s additionally unclear if subsequent week will likely be a full media occasion just like September’s Wonderlust or if Apple plans to carry a smaller briefing for choose members of the press and even simply make the announcement of the brand new fashions by way of a press launch. If that is going to be a extra important occasion, we’ll doubtless discover out within the subsequent couple of days, as Apple sometimes sends out invitations a few week prematurely.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]