Yes, Apple in 2024 will be all about sequels, but it will also be Tim Cook’s first item in an entirely new category since the first Apple Watch in 2015. The Apple Vision Pro will make its appearance this time, maybe as soon as February.
This puts a lot of pressure on Apple to defend its new $3,500 spatial computer. Will it be the game changer that everyone has been waiting for, or will it be an overly ambitious and costly taste of the future?
We’ve tracked all of the major Apple rumors leading up to 2024, and these are the most anticipated items, including the iPhone 16, the first iPads with OLED panels, and the Apple Watch 10.
APPLE VISION PRO
The Apple Vision Pro marks a significant advancement in wearable technology. It has the potential to be not just the finest virtual reality headset, but also the most sophisticated mixed reality headset. Apple refers to this as spatial computing, and the headgear is intended to be the ultimate work-and-play gadget.
You can use the Apple Vision Pro to view movies on a large screen, play back 3D spatial video images and videos (including those taken on an iPhone 15 Pro), and work across several desktops floating in front of you. You may even use your own digital avatar to make FaceTime calls directly from the headset.
During a demo, I got the opportunity to try out the Apple Vision Pro, and I was blown away by the gesture-based interface, since the headset can follow your eyes and hands. Furthermore, the augmented reality experiences are genuinely immersive. However, $3,500 is a lot of money to spend on a headset, even if it does outperform the competition, and the EyeSight function, which allows others to see a digital reproduction of your eyes through the headset, is unnerving.
IPHONE 16 AND IPHONE 16 PRO
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series are expected to launch in September with significant enhancements. And a better Siri and AI may be on the top of the list.
Apple is supposedly investing heavily in AI for the years 2024 and beyond, and has discovered a means to pack LLM (long language models) chatbots like ChatGPT onto a device rather than relying on the cloud. Prepare for AppleGPT.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 should receive a 3nm CPU, and all four iPhone 16 models may get a new Capture button to make it simpler to take photographs and movies. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to have bigger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screens, respectively, up from 6.1 and 6.7 inches.
On the camera front, the iPhone 16 could see a vertical camera arrangement to enable spatial video capture for the Apple Vision Pro. And both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max could boast a 5x tetraprism lens.
NEW IPADS
iPads appear to be a significant product category for Apple in 2024. The business is expected to deliver the first OLED iPad Pros, which will significantly improve the display quality on the iPad Pro 2024. The speedy Apple M3 CPU should also make its way to these slates, and the biggest iPad Pro should shrink from 12.9 to 13 inches.
The upcoming iPad Pro might reportedly have a new glass casing that supports MagSafe wireless charging. A redesigned Magic Keyboard with a sturdier metal chassis and an updated Apple Pencil are also possible.
Other new iPads speculated include an entry-level iPad 11 with a faster CPU and compatibility for the new Apple Pencil with USB-C, as well as a new iPad Mini 7 with a larger 8.3-inch display.
AIRPODS 4 AND AIRPODS MAX 2
We could get not one but two new AirPods 4 models in 2024, with Bloomberg reporting that Apple is planning two new fourth-generation non-Pro models. They’re tipped to feature updated designs, redesigned cases with USB-C charging, and active noise cancellation for the higher end model. So you won’t have to buy the AirPods Pro 2 to get that feature.
While it doesn’t sound like a major upgrade we could also finally see a new AirPods Max 2 with USB-C charging and new colors. Here’s hoping we also get a cheaper starting price and a less ridiculous AirPods Max charging case.
APPLE WATCH 10
While Apple is now fighting a patent case that has temporarily blocked sales of the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, it is also working on a new Apple Watch 10 model that will provide significant health improvements.
According to reports, the next Apple Watch will have a new look as well as the ability to detect hypertension and sleep apnea. Users will receive a notice and recommendations for more testing. Blood pressure readings from the wrist are not anticipated for this year’s model.
MACBOOK AIR WITH M3
For the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M3 and MacBook Pro 16-inch with M3 Max, the M3 processor has already shown to be quite a beast. However, Apple intends to include the M3 processor in the MacBook Air series.
Apple is expected to release a MacBook Air M3 alongside the new iPads in early 2024. However, it might be as late as spring or summer. As a result, both 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs will be equipped with the more powerful M3 processor, which has 10 GPU cores (up from 8).
Furthermore, Apple is apparently investigating a lower-cost MacBook alternative that would purportedly replace the MacBook Air M1 and better compete with the top Chromebooks, though don’t expect Apple to charge Chromebook pricing.
