Apple has released new iPhones, new Apple Watches, a new iPad mini, and a flotilla of software updates this fall, but Mac hardware has gone unmentioned so far. That’s set to change next week, according to an uncharacteristically un-cryptic post from Apple Worldwide Marketing SVP Greg Joswiak earlier today.
Imploring readers to “Mac [sic] their calendars,” Joswiak’s post teases “an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning.” If the wordplay wasn’t enough, an attached teaser video with a winking neon Mac logo drives the point home.
Though Joswiak’s post was light on additional details, months of reliable rumors have told us the most likely things to expect: refreshed MacBook Pros and 24-inch iMacs with few if any external changes but new Apple M4-series chips on the inside, plus a new M4 Mac mini with a substantial design overhaul. The MacBook Pros and iMacs were refreshed with M3 chips almost exactly a year ago, but the Mac mini was last updated with the M2 in early 2023.
The new Mac mini will allegedly be closer in size to an Apple TV and is said to be slightly taller than current Mac minis but with a smaller footprint. The new design will continue to include a space-saving internal power supply rather than relying on an external power brick, but it will also rely more heavily on USB-C/Thunderbolt ports to save space, cutting down on the number of other ports. At least some models will also include USB-C ports on the front, a design change inherited from the Mac Studio.