Apple officially hints at new M4 Macs – and the teaser promises a ‘week of announcements’
Mark your calendars for October 28
- After weeks of speculation, Apple has confirmed Mac news is coming
- The teaser shows a winking Finder face in the colors of the redesigned Siri
- Apple says to expect a week of exciting news starting on October 28
While it’s not an invite for a special event, Greg Joswiak – Apple’s SVP of Marketing – has finally confirmed that new Macs are incoming in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Which ones? Well, judging by the rumors, reports, and even leaked product packaging, it seems like Apple is finally nearly ready to unveil its next generation of M4-powered Macs.
Those will likely include new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, a redesigned Mac mini, and an update to the iMac. You can see Greg Joswiak’s full tweet embedded below, which reads: “Mac (😉) your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned…”
And if your jaw dropped at “an exciting week of announcements,” you’re not alone. Apple promises a kickoff on Monday morning, and the teaser shows a winking Finder icon in the thematic blue, orange, purple, and pink associated with Siri and Apple Intelligence that flips around to reveal a glowing Apple logo in the same colors.
That graphic and the word Mac mean we know what we’re in store for, but Apple is certainly playing coy with other details. It's likely that the week of 'exciting announcements' might factor in both new Mac hardware as well as the official shipping date of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.
Mac (😉) your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/YnoCYkZq6cOctober 24, 2024
What we can expect next week
It’s safe to say that we’re all eager to see Apple’s latest changes to the Mac lineup. After all, since the transition from Intel to the M-Series powered silicon chips, nearly all Macs – desktops or laptops – offer a tremendous amount of power. While the M4 chip is already in use in the beast of a tablet, the 11-inch or 13-inch iPad Pro, the arrival on the Mac might unveil a bit more.
If the leaks are to be believed, we’ve already seen what the M4 MacBook Pro’s might actually look like, thanks to a YouTuber in Russia who got their hands on the laptops early . These will likely stick with the working and well-received designs that incorporate plenty of room for ports, vibrant and smooth displays, and a punchy keyboard. The M4 will likely improve overall performance for everyday tasks and more creative ones with a beefed-up GPU, but Apple Intelligence will likely take center stage.
Apple’s confirmed that iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 will arrive sometime next week . With the latter, Apple Intelligence will be front and center, including Writing Tools, Siri with a new paint job, Clean Up in Photos, and Notification Summaries. You’ll also get the pretty neat ability to drag and drop items from your Mac to the iPhone within iPhone Mirroring on the Mac. There are also now developer betas of macOS Sequoia 15.2, iPadOS 18.2, and iOS 18.2, which bring several new Apple Intelligence features, including a dedicated Image Playground app to the Mac.
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Recently, we’ve also seen rumors that the Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and, yes, the Magic Mouse should also receive an update. While we might want a redesign of at least one of those, we may only be in for a swap from Lightning to USB-C.
Either way, it seems all will be revealed – or at least the reveals will begin – on Monday, October 28, 2024, so we don’t have to wait too long. I can only hope that if we do get a product drop on Halloween – October 31, 2024 – that Apple is kind enough to include some candy.
Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for TechRadar. He’s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others.
He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.