Welcome to our hebdomadal Apple Breakfast pillar , which let in all the Apple news you miss last calendar week in a handy bite - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it go expectant with a sunrise loving cup of coffee or tea , but it ’s coolheaded if you require to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too .
‘Loose’ change
Defying all expectation , Apple last week mail out invitation to aspecial eventon May 7 . Based on the artwork ( which features an Apple Pencil and an artistic Apple logotype ) and the lack of new Apple tablets since 2022 , you’re able to be well-nigh certain that iPads are back on the menu … but base on the fact that Apple decide to do this at an event rather than via a less ostentatious military press passing , there might be a few surprise too .
New AirPods and AirPods Max
The promotional graphics strongly entail that iPads are the principal of the show , but that is n’t necessarily the casing : Apple might want to keep back something more exciting for the “ one more affair ” one-armed bandit . And I would argue that more people worry about young AirPods than unexampled iPads .
There ’s reason to desire , too . In December the generally honest Bloomberg newsman Mark Gurmanpredictedthat 2024 would see the launch of not one but two standard AirPods models ( one with combat-ready noise cancellation , one without ) , and a newfangled set of AirPods Max to boot . And there is a precedent for Apple exhaust Modern AirPods in the leaping : the 2nd - gen AirPods come out in March 2019 .
The AirPods Max in particular desperately ask an update . They were n’t completely convincing at launch , but over the retiring three and a one-half years they ’ve mature like Milk River thanks to their lack of an H2 chip , USB - speed of light , and Lossless Audio . My co-worker , in fact , think Apple shouldscrap them and begin over .
Areportnear the get-go of April suggest the 2nd - gen AirPods Max wo n’t come until the tumble , but do n’t find out a surprisal show on May 7 .
David Price / Foundry
A HomePod with a screen
We ’ve been discover for some time that Apple is about to refreshen its impertinent - home strategy , but it ’s still not unclouded what that will imply . One hypothesis is that it ’s going to upgrade the humbleHomePod by sum up a screenso it can pretend as a hub without being so subject on Siri . You ’d also be capable to utilise it for FaceTime call and watching news report while you wipe out your breakfast – handy for a machine you could install in the kitchen . Some reports have advise that the HomePod with a screen will simply be an iPad that attaches to a HomePod dock . That would certainly fit the result ’s iPad motive .
Like update AirPods , a novel HomePod could just about fit into the originative “ allow Loose ” melodic theme of the effect ; if you mark off the revivify artwork in Tim Cook ’s tweet you ’ll notice some musical iconography in there .
Pencil us in for May 7 ! ✏ ️#AppleEventpic.twitter.com/1tvyB7h450
All of the iPads
Apple seldom updates an entire range all at once . The MacBook Air gets a refresh at a different time to the Mac Pro , the iPhone SE is announced at a unlike time of class than the flagship iPhone , and the various iPad models look on an irregular staggered timetable .
It ’s just potential that might change this year .
Logically we ’re only expecting newfangled versions of theiPad ProandiPad Air , each of which has been the subject of multiple rumors and provision - mountain range news leak . ( This also pass over with the discovery offour unreleased modelson the Bureau of Indian Standards website , which would match the two sizes of Pro and Air respectively . ) This remains by far the most probable outcome .
But Apple has two other iPad lines , and these are just as painfully in need of an update as the Pro and Air . The tenth - gen iPad came out in October 2022 , at the same clock time as the last iPad Pro , while the 6th - gen iPad miniskirt do out in 2021 and is positively ancient . ( cue - hound reader might be inquire why Apple is hold the event at an unusually early hour of 7 am PT on May 7 , and whether this might point to the7th - gen iPad minibeing a pregnant element . I ’m … not wholly convinced by that , but it ’s a fun melodic theme . )
The wait since any iPads were announced isgetting ridiculous . It ’s a recollective jibe , but we might end up with an entire Seth of novel iPads this May .
But don’t expect…
There are some declaration that would n’t merely be a surprisal : they would be a miracle . Here are the product launches that I ’d put below a 1 % chance .
New iPhones : TheiPhone 16(and 16 Plus , Pro and Pro Max ) will come out in the decline . And thenext iPhone SEis unlikely to appear before 2025 . Every time Apple holds an event our iPhone rumor articles light up up with optimistic readers , but it ’s not going to happen .
New Apple Watches : Same narration as the iPhones . TheApple Watch Series 10 / Xwon’t be here until September ( possibly accompanied by a third - gen Ultra ) and while the last Apple Watch SE come out 19 month ago , it seems to be a following a two - yearly release wheel and there have n’t been any relevant making water from the supply mountain chain .
A new version of Siri : Oh , I wish . But this is an proclamation for WWDC , don Apple is fain to admit that Siri 1.0 was horrible . Which it probably is n’t .
The next version of the Vision Pro : Far , far too early . anticipate this in 2025 at the early , and quite maybe 2026 .
metalworks
Apple will finallylet its novel iPads ‘ Loose’at asurprising May event .
If it wants us tobuy unexampled stuffall the time , Apple needs tobecome a software companyagain .
Peter Müller trade from aniPhone 14 Proto an iPhone 15 andhasn’t looked back .
ForgetiPhone 16 , Apple ’s most authoritative new product this year ison - equipment AI .
FineWovenwill join a tenacious line ofshort - lived Apple failure .
The newSnapdragon X chipsare quicker than an M3 , butshould we believe it ?
Podcast of the week
Apple announces aMay 7 event . Is FineWoven done for ? Is there a big change in stock for the Calculator app ? We talk about the latest rumors and intelligence spot in this episode of the Macworld Podcast !
you may see every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own site .
The rumor mill
Applekills offtroubled FineWoven line , report claims .
Report : New12.9 - column inch iPad Airwill not have the same high - end showing as the iPad Pro .
iPad users rejoice!iPadOS 18 will lastly let in aCalculator app .
Software updates, bugs, and problems
iOS 17.5 genus Beta 3 arrivesas Apple announcesMay iPad consequence .
The third beta ofmacOS 14.5is here . Get it on your Macright now .
And with that , we ’re done for this week ’s Apple Breakfast . If you ’d care to get even roundup , signal up forour newssheet . you could also follow us onFacebook , Threads , orTwitterfor discussion of break Apple news news report . See you next Monday , and quell Appley .