In a surprising turn of events, Apple has some big secret projects that just leaked. The
iphone parts 16 is just the beginning of what's coming next. We've got new iPads, Macs, Watches, AirPods, and so much more coming way sooner than you thought. If you decided to scour the internet for what Apple is working on next, well, congratulations because you just stumbled upon the perfect article.
In this piece, I'll break down the top 15 or so secret projects and products coming next from Apple. Let me lay out the path of what Apple's working on for the rest of 2024, what is coming in 2025, and the good news and the bad news that Apple fans need to know right now.
The Predictable Rest of 2024
There's a couple of surprises I'll get to in a moment, but by and large, the rest of 2024 is going to be fairly predictable on the Apple side because of the big move with Apple Intelligence and all the iOS 18 features. This focus is really taking a lot of the resources away from other Apple hardware projects. So for the remainder of the year, expect not the unexpected but the expected.
I've already covered the iPhone 16 lineup extensively. The iPhone 16 will be here, along with the new Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 3. There are some other surprises I'll delve into in a moment, but that's basically it. We really won't see a big ramp-up with exciting updates until 2025.
AirPods: A New Era of Sound
First up, let's talk AirPods because this is a product category that Apple has made a name for itself in. They have shown that this could be super successful. Over the next year or so, we should be getting some pretty exciting upgrades to all AirPods models that'll finally make them way more worthwhile in 2024, 2025, and beyond.
Starting with some budget AirPods, Apple is expected to release a stripped-down version of AirPods version three, coming around the $100 price point sometime this year. With this move, Apple's going to replace those in the mid-tier with AirPods Gen 4. These are rumored to adopt an AirPods Pro-like design and, for the first time on non-Pro AirPods, bring active noise cancellation to their mid-tier offering. Essentially, the middle-of-the-road AirPods are getting a whole lot better soon with this Generation 4 update.
This leads to the obvious question: if regular AirPods are getting active noise cancellation and the new Pro design, where does that leave AirPods Pro Gen 3? One of Apple's big potential moves is to make AirPods Pro more like an Apple Watch in your ears. The company might be working to bring a lot of the fitness tracking features of Apple Watch into the AirPods Pro buds themselves. Not only could you listen to music and have different noise cancellation levels with AirPods Pro, but potentially, you could track your workouts and maybe even other vitals and stats without having an Apple Watch on your wrist but just AirPods in your ears as you worked out.
If we could get some colors for AirPods Pro like we have on AirPods Max, that would be fantastic. Speaking of AirPods Max, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that we should be getting a new version of AirPods Max sometime before the end of the year. However, the bad news is that according to leaks, there won't be any major changes to AirPods Max Version 2, despite it being around four years since the original models debuted back in 2020.
iPad: Awaiting a Revolution
Next up, let's talk iPad because this is where things get a little controversial. To Apple's credit, we have some great iPad hardware these days. The iPad Pros have the M4 chip and the impossibly thin design, and we've got new iPad Air versions as well. However, many would argue, and I agree, that the iPad is not a hardware issue but is severely held back by its software. Apple needs to radically change iPadOS, which they haven't yet.
As of now, the software is as good as it's going to get, but we should be getting some updates here with hardware. One iPad that might get a slight bump is the regular iPad. Instead of the 10th generation, we might get the 11th generation. This base iPad isn't expected to have any crazy changes since we just got a pretty big redesign not too long ago. One of the good things about this iPad is that the deals on this thing just do not stop. Even if Apple updates this to the 11th generation with a slight processor bump, it should bring the price down of the 10th generation in the second-tier market, making this an even better deal.
Can you believe the iPad Mini hasn't been updated since the fall of 2021? We're going on three years since the iPad Mini's debut and last update. While this is expected to get some hardware tweaks this year, nothing significant is anticipated. Likely, there will be a processor bump internally, a camera upgrade, and maybe some slight tweaks to the display to correct the jelly scrolling issues.
Miscellaneous Apple Projects
There are also a couple of miscellaneous products that Apple continues to work on that we should be getting either at the end of this year or early next year. Two different Apple TVs are on the horizon. One is a cheaper version, possibly the Apple TV stick that we heard rumors about a while ago or just a cheaper version of the box. Remember when Apple used to have a $99 version of the Apple TV? It could be making a return.
We've also heard that Apple is testing a version of the Apple TV with a built-in camera. This could be a
permanent camera or one that pops up and down for privacy. It would probably have some sort of Center Stage technology built in.
Speaking of futuristic products, we've heard that Apple is working on a HomePod and screen mashup device, similar to the Amazon Echo Show lineup with different speakers and screen combinations. This would be part of the HomePod family as a new smart display. Additionally, Apple is experimenting with robots, potentially a smart home robot assistant similar to Amazon Astro. This is a weird one, but Apple is looking into it as a potential next big thing.
Apple Vision: Adjusting the Vision
Apple Vision Pro has seen roadblock after roadblock lately and has not been the tremendous success that Apple hoped for. However, they are diligently working on a cheaper version of Vision Pro. This would likely be Apple Vision or Vision Air, aiming to eliminate many of the bigger cost factors for this headset. This means the screens might be less high quality, no external OLED display, and cheaper materials, all in an effort to get the price down to around $1,500. They want to get this to the price of a pro iPhone, not the $3,500 price we have now. This budget version could be seen sometime late next year, if not 2026, but the sooner the better for the sake of the Vision OS ecosystem.
Mac: Incremental Updates
Turning over to the Mac side, not a lot is expected to change radically over the next few months. We might get new M4 versions of the MacBook Pro before the end of the year. After that, we'll likely see updates to the rest of the M family of Macs, such as the Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Studio,
iphone parts and Mac Pro, with higher-end M4 Pro chips. The rumors about a larger 32-inch iMac have subsided, so that might not be happening. Additionally, updates to Apple Pro Display XDR and the Apple Studio Display are expected. These great Apple monitors are not inexpensive but are due for an update.
Looking Ahead: Exciting Prospects
As mentioned earlier, a new Apple Watch is coming this year, and the iPhone 16 is also expected. Next year, we might see the iPhone 17 Slim, which would be cool. One of the most exciting things on the horizon is a new version of the iPhone SE4. This would bring huge upgrades to the cheapest iPhone, such as a 6.
