Apple has a history of shaping the future with its innovative product lineup. If rumours are to be believed, 2024 could be one of the company’s biggest years ever across all categories. From long-awaited new devices like Vision Pro to refreshes of its core iPhone, iPad and Mac products, Apple looks poised to make waves across the industry. Here’s an overview of everything expected from Apple in the coming year.
Vision Pro
The most anticipated Apple product of 2024 is the Vision Pro, Apple’s long-rumored augmented reality headset. After being unveiled at WWDC 2022, Vision Pro is slated for release in early 2024, likely in February.
Vision Pro represents Apple’s first major new product category since the Apple Watch in 2015. It will feature dual 4K OLED displays, multiple external cameras for mixed reality, and a custom Apple processor. Apple is positioning Vision Pro as a device for communication and content consumption.
Priced starting at $3,499, Vision Pro won’t come cheap. But for Apple fans eager to be on the cutting edge, it promises to usher in a new era of spatial computing.
Complete iPad lineup overhaul
While 2023 was a quiet year for the iPad – in fact, there were exactly zero new iPad launches – 2024 is shaping up to be very different. Apple is planning its biggest iPad lineup overhaul ever. Headlining this is a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air. Currently, the iPad Air maxes out at 10.9 inches, so this represents a significant size increase.
For the iPad Pro, bigger changes are in store. First, the iPad Pro is switching to OLED displays in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes. This will bring best-in-class contrast and colours. Second, the iPad Pro is getting the latest M3 Apple silicon for a performance boost.
Alongside the new hardware, Apple is readying a new Magic Keyboard case and third-generation Apple Pencil. This new Magic Keyboard will reportedly turn the iPad Pro more laptop-like.
iOS 18’s AI upgrades
At WWDC 2024, Apple’s annual developer conference, we’ll get our first look at iOS 18. Rumours point to major AI enhancements coming to iOS 18. Siri could be rebuilt with a new AI system leveraging large language models for more natural conversations. The Messages app may gain AI smarts to auto-complete sentences and answer questions. These additions would help iOS catch up to Google and Microsoft in artificial intelligence.
iOS aside, the complete list of expected software releases is as follows:
iOS 18
iPad 18
watchOS 11
macOS 15
tvOS 18
visions 2
iPhone 16 Pro models upsize
The tentpole Apple product of 2024 will be the iPhone 16 lineup, set to be announced in September per usual. Headlining this is a display size bump – the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to pack a 6.3-inch display, up from the 6.1 inches of the iPhone 15 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro Max will get a similar treatment with its display size being upped to a massive 6.9 inches. Under the hood, expect newer Apple Silicon and 48MP ultra-wide cameras across the board.
The iPhone 16 Pro will also gain the same 5x telephoto camera the iPhone 15 Pro Max currently has. The Pro models are also expected to add a dedicated “capture button” for quick video recording.
Apple Watch X?
As always, the state of the Apple Watch lineup is less certain than other products. Some rumours point to a completely redesigned “Apple Watch X” coming, but whether it’ll indeed be launched this year is unclear. This would bring the first major redesign since the original Apple Watch. Apple is also focused on making the Apple Watches thinner, alongside fitting it with a new magnetic band attachment mechanism. Either way – with or without Apple Watch X – the new lineup will likely be unveiled alongside the iPhone 16 series in September.
AirPods Max to go the USB-C route
Among Apple’s wearables, the AirPods lineup will also see changes in 2024. The AirPods Max are only getting a minor charging port update to USB-C.
More significant is a redesign for the base AirPods. Dubbed AirPods 4, these will take design cues from both the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro. Expect a “hybrid” look. Meanwhile, the AirPods 3 and AirPods 2 are expected to be discontinued.
New 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks expected
Apple is developing new 13-inch and 15-inch models of the MacBook Air with the M3 processor. The launch date for the new MacBook Air series is likely to be around March 2024. The company is also working on new versions of the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with the M3 Max and M3 Ultra processors, although these desktop Macs are not expected to arrive towards the end of 2024, if not 2025.
With these upgrades, plus the Vision Pro headset, Apple’s 2024 product lineup looks to be stacked. After a somewhat slow 2023, Apple is gearing up for a major year across all its product categories.
