On Thursday we noted in a report that Apple didn't issue an official event announcement which could mean a series of web announcements. We now learn that might be the case as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that "Apple will probably introduce new Macs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday."

Overall

Gurman notes in his Power On newsletter that "This week, Apple will unveil a refreshed 24-inch iMac and two versions of a revamped Mac mini, as well as a refreshed 16-inch MacBook Pro and both low- and high-end configurations of that laptop’s 14-inch model. The iMac will come with an entry-level M4, while the Mac mini will get versions with the base chip and the M4 Pro. The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, will sport higher-end M4 flavors.

For Apple Intelligence and other AI tasks, the chip’s Neural Engine will bring advantages to all three Macs. The Neural Engine in the M2 — which the Mac mini currently has — can process 15.8 trillion operations per second, or TOPS. The component in the M3 in the iMac and MacBook Pro can run up to 18 TOPS. The M4 will nearly double the capability in all of those Macs, reaching 38 TOPS.

More Mac Details

The Mac mini will be getting a rare makeover. The model will be smaller — approaching the size of an Apple TV set-top box — and will include two ports on the front (like the Mac Studio) and, at least on some versions, another three on the back. People familiar with the product believe it’s the most impressive Mac yet to use Apple’s in-house silicon because of the combination of its size and power. It wll also will get ray tracing for the first time, gaining a graphics technique that brings more realistic images. That should be a boon for gamers, especially if Apple ever gets the Mac’s gaming library into better shape.

The Mac Studio and Mac Pro are also due to get similar capabilities next year, when they jump from the M2 to the M4.

In terms of overall CPU performance, the gains over M3 models should be noticeable but not stunning. If you’re coming from an M1 machine, however, the improvement could feel as significant as that first shift from Intel machines to Apple chips.

For at least the base-level MacBook Pro, it appears that Apple may skip that nine-core CPU configuration and only produce versions with the 10-core unit. The high-end processors in the MacBook Pro will be the highlight of the launch,

As for the iMac, the new model will represent a bit of a strategy shift. After launching the M1 version in spring 2021, Apple didn’t touch the machine again until late 2023 — when it offered the M3 variant. Now it’s being refreshed again 12 months later. It appears the M4 chip is so important to Apple and its AI ambitions that it wants to bring the chip to its entire Mac line — the first time Apple has done an end-to-end overhaul since switching to homegrown processors. 

Apple Intelligence, coming on Monday, only requires 8 gigabytes, but it could use up to a few gigabytes at a time, which won’t leave much for other tasks. Yet the real Apple Intelligence begins beta testing. It’s been well established that the first version of Apple Intelligence, launching this week, won’t be groundbreaking. But iOS 18.2 — an update coming in December — is shaping up to be a more significant advance.

The December release looks great and could be a game changer for how people perceive Apple Intelligence. The integration with OpenAI and image-generation tools will finally give consumers the kind of modern AI services that they’ve been clamoring for.

For the first time, Apple is also likely to start shipping at least some low-end Macs with 16 gigabytes of memory at minimum.

A Couple of Miscellaneous Tidbits

• A new low-end iPad is to join the revamped Apple tablet family in 2025.
• Apple’s upcoming home smart display will include old school iMac-like base (as illustrated below). The size of two iPhones side by side. It’s possible that the base will include speakers, essentially turning the device into a HomePod with a screen.

The product will be the first of two smart displays to hit the market. A higher-end device for 2026 will have a larger screen controlled via a robotic limb — a format designed for higher-end videoconferencing, media playback and smart home control.

For more, read the full Power On Newsletter for Oct. 27, 2024.