Apple's Early 2025 Is Filled With Possible Product Announcements
1 Facebook x.com Reddit Rumor Score 🤔 Possibly
Apple is gearing up for a busy spring with AirTag updates, an AI-powered Home Hub, an M4 MacBook Air, iPhone SE 4, iPad 11, and potentially more. Here's what to expect.
Rumor season never ends, though it never stops with one leaker or another predicting that everyone's hopes and dreams will be realized at the same time. The evidence continues to pour in that it's going to be a busy quarter for Apple, but there's always room for product changes.
Much of Apple's product lineup has been refreshed since early 2024, with a few exceptions. The M4 chipset could be heading to the latest Mac models, and new products could be coming, too.
Here's what's rumored to be coming in early 2025.
Apple Home Hub – possible
The mythical Apple Home Hub, AI repeater, robotic assistant, or whatever you're calling it this week, could finally be unveiled in March 2025. Although the initial version may not be quite the revolution some expected from the Apple Home display.
Subscribe to AppleInsider on YouTubeSubscribe on AppleInsider on YouTube Rumors of a HomePod with a screen have been swirling for a while, but it could be a Home Hub
A model with an AI-powered robotic arm could still come at some point and cost more than $1,000, but the first so-called “Home Hub” will be more like an iPad. The small, square display will stand alone, display data with a user interface similar to the iPhone’s standby mode, and mount to different stands depending on the context needed.
Rather than being a full-fledged iPad product, it will have just enough power to display information. Users will be able to watch videos, check the weather, make FaceTime calls, or control HomeKit devices from the display.
Some rumors suggest that the hub could act as a kind of Apple Intelligence relay that would provide more advanced Siri to products like the HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV. However, this seems unlikely given the proposed price and functionality.
Apple reportedly expects multiple devices in a single home, which would signal a low-power device. They would sell for less than $300 each and could be paired with accessories like speakers, docks, and stands.
The Home Hub could mimic a StandBy user interface
Users would be required to carry the display into whatever room they were in. The Home Hub could be a bedside clock, music player, recipe viewer, or photo frame depending on the context.
Sensors would detect the number of people in the room and who was looking at it. The user interface can adjust based on the distance from the viewer, making information denser as you get closer.
If Apple does introduce the Home Hub, it will be a big spring product. Everything else is a chipset upgrade or something.
M4 MacBook Air – Likely
The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air could get the M4 processor in early 2025. As with the MacBook Pro upgrade to the M4, it is unlikely that much else will change.
MacBook Air could get an M4
Apple could add an improved 12MP Center Stage camera and introduce better external monitor support. Otherwise, the chassis design would remain the same, and they would still use Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
The M4 processor delivers a significant 25% performance boost in the MacBook Pro compared to the M3 model. Buyers can expect a similar performance boost for the MacBook Air.
Apple will likely keep the pricing structure the same, with the base model offering a 10-core processor, 10-core graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $1,099. Upgrades will likely top out at 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage for $2,099.
iPad 11 – Likely
Like the MacBook Air, the iPad is the lowest-priced model in Apple's product lineup and the most popular model. The 11th-generation tablet isn't expected to see many changes beyond a processor bump.
iPad 11 to get a chipset bump, possibly Apple Intelligence
Basically, nothing concrete has been announced about the upcoming iPad 11. It will have a better processor, but it's unclear which one.
Previous iPad models have consistently used the iPhone's A-series processor, but with the iPad 10 getting the A14 in 2022, Apple may move to the A16. However, the minimum chipset for Apple Intelligence is the A17 Pro, and Apple is unlikely to include a pro chip in a budget tablet.
Yes, the A17 Pro is used in the iPad mini, but that’s likely the exception rather than the rule.
That brings us to the A18, which is used in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. If Apple wants to continue its trend of including AI access in every new product it releases, the A18 is the most likely chipset, which is an astronomical jump from the A14.
Another expected and more obvious change will be support for the Apple Pencil. The iPad 11 will almost certainly support the USB-C Apple Pencil and the Apple Pencil Pro. This would mark the end of modern support for the first two generations of the Apple Pencil.
If Apple does indeed move to the A18, keeping the same starting price of $349, it would be the cheapest product with AI access. Although that’s not an outlandish idea given the rumors of Apple’s budget iPhone.
iPhone SE 4 — likely
There have been many rumors about the iPhone SE 4, but mostly due to Apple experimenting with an in-house modem. While an in-house modem could still happen, users will be more concerned about the design and chipset used.
iPhone SE 4 could take over the iPhone 14 design
The iPhone SE 3 was released in 2022 with a design similar to the iPhone 8 and still features a Home button with Touch ID. Rumors suggest that Apple could introduce an iPhone SE modeled after the iPhone 14, signaling the eventual ditching of the Home button.
A slew of upgrades to the device would come with a new design — OLED, a 12-megapixel camera, and a notch with Face ID. There is also some chance that the action button will make its way to the iPhone SE, but that is an unlikely rumor.
As with the iPad 11, it's unlikely that Apple will release a new product that can't access Apple Intelligence. It's likely that Apple will use the A18, despite it being the newest chip, but that will ensure the longevity of the iPhone SE 4.
Apple is expected to target the same $429 price point.
An Apple Watch SE refresh could also be revealed, but there have been no leaks about the budget watch. The current second-generation model was released in 2022 and uses the same S8 SiP as the Apple Watch Series 8, so it could go a little longer without an update.
AirTag 2 — possible
The new AirTag could come with improved Ultra Wideband features and a new UWB chipset that's definitely not called U2. Initial rumors suggested the new AirTag would be linked in some way to the Apple Vision Pro, but that seems less likely as the initial feature set.
Apple's AirTag could get an updated UWB chip
Rumors have started to build around an updated product in 2024, suggesting that the design will remain the same but tracking will improve. The longer range and better tracking will come from a new UWB chipset.
The original AirTag was released in 2021 and generated a lot of controversy regarding its tracking capability and the need for a compatibility standard. Despite the noise, the AirTag has proven to be a popular product, and an update makes sense.
Apple has opened up Find My to third-party trackable items, so it’s unlikely that Apple will introduce any other form factors for the tracker. The coin design requires additional accessories that must be attached to bags or other products.
The AirTag currently costs $29 for one or four for $100. Buyers can have initials or emojis engraved on the surface.
iPad Air – unlikely
Some rumors suggest Apple could update the iPad Air to the M4 chipset in early 2025, but that doesn’t fit with its usual product strategy. Otherwise, the rumors don’t reveal much about the iPad Air.
iPad Air getting M2 in May 2024
Apple updated the iPad Air to M2 and the iPad Pro to M4 at the same “Let Loose” event in May 2024. It seems absurd to assume Apple will update the iPad Air to M4 in less than a year and bring its performance to the level of “pro” tablets.
An M5 iPad Pro is possible in 2025, but also unlikely given the 18-month or longer product cycles currently in place. So if the iPad Air ends up having the same chipset as the iPad Pro, the only reason customers will opt for the more expensive models will be the new design and tandem OLED displays.
Apple did move the iPad Air into a similar two-size lineup with the move to M2, and with it they got the previous Magic Keyboard cases. However, those $300 and $350 accessories are half the price of the iPad Air and probably aren’t a good option for this market.
A new set of Magic Keyboard accessories could be introduced with a lower price tag. Customers have lamented the loss of the Smart Keyboard Folio, so perhaps Apple could be targeting a new version with a trackpad.
That said, something in the supply chain or internal sources suggests that the M4-powered iPad Air will arrive in 2025. While that’s not rated as likely, it’s not a possibility that should be ruled out entirely, even if it seems like an odd move on Apple’s part.
There's more to come
The rest of Apple's product lineup that wasn't updated in 2024 or early 2025 could see new releases in the second half of the year. The iPhone 17 and Apple Watch Series 11 are coming in the fall, but everything else is a little less certain.
The Mac Studio should get an M4 Ultra, but not until this summer
The M4 Ultra could be unveiled in the Mac Pro and Mac Studio during WWDC or sometime this summer. Updates to the Apple TV 4K, HomePod, HomePod mini, or Studio Display could come at any time.
The wild card for 2025 will be the Apple Vision Pro. Some expect Apple to release an M5 model as a higher spec with few other changes.
Apple's slow rollout of the Vision Pro in its first year, coupled with its lack of in-house software and expertise, suggests otherwise. It seems unreasonable for Apple to release a headset at the same price with more power when the existing model has just started shipping and doesn't make use of the power it has.
The devices mentioned at the top are the most likely contenders for some early 2025 announcements. Given Apple's control of the narrative with its Mac reveal week in October, a similar approach could be taken in the spring.
Rumor Score
🤔
Possible
Follow AppleInsider on Google News
