7 Things Not to Expect at Tuesday’s ‘Let Loose’ Apple Event
Apple will hold its first major media event of 2024 on Tuesday, and Apple CEO Tim Cook recently hinted it could be more significant than expected, telling investors that the company has “big plans to announce” next week.
Whether those plans are more significant than the highly anticipated new iPad Pro and iPad Air lineups is anybody’s guess at this point, but it’s also fair to say those are already a pretty big deal. After all, they’re not only the first new iPads we’ve seen from Apple since the iPhone 14 came along nearly two years ago, but the higher-end model is expected to make the switch to OLED — a first for an Apple tablet.
It’s all but certain that we’ll also see the debut of the next-generation Apple Pencil. A so-called “Apple Pencil 3” has been rumored for years, and while we’ve often been disappointed by its absence at other iPad events, the rumors are not only more substantial this time around, but the artwork for Apple’s May 7 event pretty much screams “Apple Pencil,” as does Tim Cook’s tweet to “Pencil us in” for the date. The only way Apple could be more on the nose here is if the invite included a photograph of the new stylus.
There have also been some more recent rumors of Apple making a strong AI push with its new iPads and possibly even putting a brand-new M4 chip into the iPad Pro in advance of its Mac debut earlier this year. While the sources of these reports are typically too reliable to be dismissed offhand, they still stretch credulity a bit. Possible? Yes. Likely? We’ll have to wait and see.
However, leaving that aside, there are still a few things you might think could fit into such an event that Apple is unlikely to include. Of course, it’s nice to leave a little room for Apple to surprise us, but read on for X things we suggest not holding your breath for.
Generative AI Features
There’s little doubt that Apple will make a big push into generative AI this year. Rumors abound of the company’s plans in this area, but any big announcements are much more likely to come when Apple unveils iOS 18 et al at the software-focused Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which will kick off less than five weeks after the “Let Loose” event.
Talking too much about AI with the iPad launch will take the wind out of Apple’s sails. Plus, many of these features will require iPadOS 18, and it would be highly odd for Apple to telegraph that before WWDC.
It’s likely Apple will hint at AI capabilities in the new iPads. It may even have some unique features related to the new Apple Pencil that take advantage of AI for drawing and illustrating, but the most important aspects of Apple’s AI play are going to require some wholesale software changes, and those aren’t coming until later.
An 11th-Gen iPad
Next week’s event is all about the iPad Pro and iPad Air, and Apple has rarely released standard iPad models alongside its more premium tablets. That just muddies the waters too much.
In fact, it’s unprecedented for Apple to launch the iPad Pro and iPad Air at the same time. These have always been separate events (or at least separate press releases).
A next-generation entry-level iPad will likely come in the fall, which has been Apple’s typical timeframe for its release. It was skipped in 2023 but has arrived like clockwork every year before that since 2020.
It’s too early to say much about the lower-cost iPad, but it’s also not likely to get too many exciting features. Expect a spec bump from the current 10th-gen model and maybe some new colors.
The iPad mini 7
The iPad mini 6 is one of the oldest iPads that Apple still sells. It’s tied with the ninth-generation iPad that came out at the same time, which is only kicking around because Apple kept it on the market as a “budget model” after introducing the 10th-gen iPad in 2022.
That makes it somewhat surprising that we haven’t seen an iPad mini 7 yet, except that the smaller tablet hasn’t been a huge priority for Apple in recent years. After four rapid-fire iPad mini releases between 2012 and 2015, the diminutive tablet went into hibernation. That led many to believe it had been permanently discontinued until Apple surprised us four years later with a 2019 iPad mini 5 that joined the iPad Air in ushering in a new middle tier of Apple devices.
Since then, it’s received only one update, the 2021 iPad mini 6, which brought it into the fold by adopting the edge-to-edge design from its larger iPad Air sibling.
There’s still strong evidence that Apple is working on a new iPad mini, but none have put it on the slate for next week. We’ll probably see it later this year.
New Macs
Rumors of the iPad Pro ushering in Apple’s next-generation M4 chip have led to speculation that it may also show off some new Macs next week.
After all, the M-series silicon has always debuted on Macs first. The first two generations came to the MacBook Air and the old-school 13-inch MacBook Pro, while the M3 made its first appearance in a new MacBook Pro lineup and 24-inch iMac before finding its way into the MacBook Air family in March.
The theory goes that if Apple is truly going to unveil an M4 chip, it won’t put it into an iPad Pro before a Mac; therefore, there must be some Macs coming. However, the counterpoint to that theory is that Apple simply won’t put its latest M4 chip into an iPad before a Mac.
There’s no evidence that new Macs are coming next week. Apple just launched its MacBook Air lineup in March, so it’s way too soon for those to get the M4 treatment, and the same applies to last fall’s MacBook Pro. While there’s a slight possibility Apple could throw in a Mac mini update, that would be a clunky and awkward addition to an iPad-focused event.
Apple has also rarely announced Macs alongside iPads. While it’s happened occasionally in the past, Apple prefers to keep those two product families distinct, and it’s often gone so far as to hold two events in the same month to announce iPads and Macs separately.
While we can’t rule out an M4 iPad Pro, the more likely conclusion seems to be that Apple will be putting something else in the iPad Pro. There’s evidence that it will use chips distinct from the M3 found in the MacBook Air, but that could be a special version of the M3 optimized for Apple’s tablets. However, if it is an M4 chip, Apple will set a new precedent by introducing its latest silicon in an iPad months before it finds its way into a Mac.
If the new iPad Pro does contain an M4 chip, it’s possible Apple may not have much to say about it to avoid stealing the thunder from its Macs later on. Something similar happened in 2020 when the iPhone launch was pushed into October due to the global health pandemic. Apple still held a September event to unveil the iPad Air 4 and new Apple Watch models, but it said very little about the A14 Bionic chip inside, preferring to save that for the iPhone 12 launch presentation.
New AirPods
Multiple reports confirm that Apple has two new pairs of fourth-generation AirPods in the works. They’re expected to go into mass production soon, but they’re not expected to be unveiled until September, alongside the iPhone 16.
That aligns with most other AirPods releases. Only the second-generation AirPods came in the spring, and those were snuck out more quietly by press release. The original AirPods, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 3 all came out at Apple’s September launch events, alongside the iPhone 7, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14, respectively. The original AirPods Pro and AirPods Max were other non-event releases, but both still came in the fall.
When the “AirPods 4” finally do arrive, expect a higher-end pair that features active noise cancellation (ANC) and a more affordable “AirPods Lite” that will allow Apple to avoid keeping the AirPods 2 or AirPods 3 around for another year.
New AirPods Max headphones are also expected later this year but don’t expect too much from those. By all reports, they’ll make the switch to USB-C and possibly get some new colors, but not much else. Next-generation AirPods Pro aren’t supposed to be coming until 2025.
New HomePods
This is one of these areas where Apple could throw us a curveball, especially if rumors of an iPad-like HomePod are true, but we’re not expecting anything from Apple’s speakers next week. For one thing, they just don’t fit into an iPad event.
There are enough rumors to suggest an LCD-equipped HomePod is coming, but there’s no evidence that Apple is readying anything for Tuesday. A WWDC announcement is slightly possible, but later this year seems more likely.
A New Apple TV
It’s hard to pin down what Apple is doing with its set-top box, as the release schedule has been all over the place in recent years. However, it rarely gets much time at Apple events — if any.
The 2021 Apple TV 4K was announced in that year’s “Spring Loaded” event, but that was an omnibus gala that included a potpourri of new Apple products ranging from AirTags, a white Magic Keyboard, and a purple iPhone 12 to the colorful new 24-inch iMac and M1 iPad Air. Spring Loaded was definitely the right title for that one.
By comparison, this year’s “Let Loose” event is expected to be much more focused, keeping the attention on the iPad, which is where it belongs considering how long it’s been since Apple has much of anything to say about its tablets.