What's next?

More Apple product releases and upgrades to come

- ALEX SUMMERSBY

AFTER THE INTRODUCTION of the iPhone 16 line, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4 in September (see Mac Life's reviews later in this issue), here's what's expected to follow from Apple in the next few months or so.

Apple Intelligence. Apple has confirmed it is on track for the public release of its take on AI this year, although some features will be rolled out over time. On supported devices, Apple Intelligence will deliver new system-wide writing and proofreading tools, Priority Notifications and Priority Messages with summaries, Safari web page summaries, unwanted object removal in Photos, the ability to record, transcribe, and summarize audio in Notes and the Phones app, and more. A smarter Siri with ChatGPT integration is promised, with better understanding of spoken queries, but it is unclear whether this will be in the initial release.

M4 MacBook Pro. Several sources report that components are in the supply chain for upgraded 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 chips, suggesting release is close. Apart from processor upgrades, however, no significant changes are expected. A new range with all-new OLED displays is reportedly not on the cards until 2026.

Redesigned Mac mini with M4.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is readying a redesigned Mac mini with an even smaller footprint, possibly the size of an Apple TV box (but taller). It will reportedly come in two configurations, one with an M4 chip and one with M4 Pro, both major upgrades from the current models. As confirmed in a leaked code reference to "Apple silicon Mac mini (5 Port)", the Pro version (if not both) will probably have five USB-C ports, likely two on the front and three at the back.