Apple is holding a special event tomorrow, and by now, we all know what to expect from it: new iPhones and Apple Watches. Of course, the company may have a few surprises for Tuesday, such as new versions of its accessories to add USB-C. But there are three things we shouldn’t expect from Apple’s September event.
New M3 Macs
Apple has been working on new Macs with the M3 chip for a while now, and although some rumors claimed that the company would introduce them at WWDC 2023 back in June, that didn’t happen. Instead, Apple launched a new 15-inch MacBook Air with the current M2 chip, as well as a new Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M2 Max and M2 Ultra.
Apple fans waiting for new Macs will have to wait a bit longer. There are no hints that Apple will announce new computers at this week’s event.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, the company has been expanding its internal testing of Macs powered by the M3 chip. Among the new models are updated versions of the 13-inch MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini, all with the new chip. However, they’re expected to be announced sometime in October or November.
Intriguingly, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently claimed that Apple won’t launch new MacBooks this year, which suggests that only desktops will be updated with M3 later this year, while M3 MacBooks won’t arrive until 2024.
New iPads
It’s been a while since Apple launched new iPads. The latest-generation iPad Pro with M2 was introduced in October 2022, while the iPad Air 5 came in March 2022 and still has the M1 chip. There’s also the iPad mini, which hasn’t seen any updates since 2021.
Although Apple has announced new iPads during an iPhone event in the past, this probably won’t be the case this year. Multiple reports suggest that although Apple has been working on a new redesigned iPad Pro, it won’t be announced until 2024. There’s also an updated iPad Air in the works, but Gurman recently told MacRumors that it’s expected to be announced in October.
As for the iPad mini, Ming-Chi Kuo reported last year that Apple was planning to launch a new version between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Then, ShrimpApplePro said last month that the iPad mini 7 is coming soon. It seems plausible to think that both the iPad Air 6 and iPad mini 7 will be announced next month.
USB-C AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Max
As the iPhone 15 is rumored to have a USB-C port instead of Lightning, Apple will probably announce a range of new USB-C accessories at tomorrow’s event. According to the rumors, AirPods Pro 2 will be relaunched with a USB-C charging case to match the port on the new phones.
Unfortunately, only Apple’s in-ear headphones will get the update for now. Multiple sources have pointed out that the AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Max may not get USB-C versions until 2024. It’s also unclear whether Apple will update the wired EarPods with a USB-C connector.
Current AirPods Pro 2 owners should be able to take advantage of the USB-C benefits by buying a new charging case, which will be available for sale separately.
Wrap up
If we consider the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the new AirPods Pro with USB-C, that’s seven new products for tomorrow. It’s not hard to imagine that Apple might prefer to wait a bit longer to announce things like new iPads and Macs at another event (or via press release).
Apple’s special event will take place on Tuesday, September 12, at 10 a.m. PT. 9to5Mac will be at Apple Park in Cupertino to bring you all the news of Apple’s announcements.
Read also:
- How to watch Apple’s iPhone 15 event and set a ‘Wonderlust’ reminder
- Here’s how much lighter (and thicker) the iPhone 15 Pro will be
- iPhone 15 Pro: Good news for more RAM, no love for increased storage
- iPhone 15 Pro: Here are the camera upgrades rumored for this year
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