Apple Product Roadmap 2023–24: Over 15 New Devices in Development

[DavidSchaub]

Ok, so it's not so much that Apple is releasing 15 "new devices". Rather, it's that Apple is going to provide scheduled updates to all of its existing product lines, exactly as it has done every year for the last decade and a half.

The only Apple devices that Apple has ever consistently updated has been the iPhone and the Apple Watch (and the Apple Watch Series SoC packages have barely been updated in the last 4.5 years).

Apple has very frequently let their hardware rot on the vine. Sometimes it was because Intel didn't have *quite* the right chip Apple wanted, but often it was Apple just not wanting to invest in new hardware if it wasn't going to make it up in more sales volumes.

Even after the ARM transition, we've seen Apple let hardware rot, like the M1 iMac, which Apple could have updated, but chose not to. Apple couldn't even bring itself to replace the M1 MBA with the M2 MBA, leaving the M1 MBA in the line-up.

Maybe Apple will change, but right now I would bet on Apple continuing to periodically letting low-volume products rot on the vine, because that it what Apple does over the past 20 years.

It's also plausible that the M3 Mac Studio and Mac Pro might not even come out until 2025.

 

[Mega ST]

The product roadmap looks okay to me. Will be looking for a MBP M3 myself.
Now I hope they keep the pricing levels realistic as well. From my view apple is a bit pricing itself out of the market for many people especially with exceptional extra prices for more RAM and storage and unfavourable currency conversion rates.

 

[DMG35]

I'm not sure there's a market for the device at that price...

The iMac Pro was priced starting at $4999.

 

[Stiksi]

Considered a refurb M1 iPad Pro? They’re like new from Apple. Forgive me if the refurbishment program doesn’t exist over there.

Perhaps look at buying a used one while you wait for Apple to improve its lineup? 🤷

Nah, the problem isn’t really the hardware. When I bought the 2nd gen pro, there was this huge push toward a more productive iOS environment especially for artists and Apple made a big deal of it because the pen was new. There was a lot of promise. Since then, while Procreate has continued to evolve, everything else has just stagnated – moving files around is still cumbersome – airdrop is only good because using dropbox is so difficult – and, like I said, Adobe apps, Affinity apps are pretty crap on iPadOS. None of that promise has become reality. I know Apple has just released Logic and Final Cut and there’s Davinci and those are nice, but the experience is just not there.

What you can do well on the iPad at this point, what it’s really GOOD at, is content consumption, that screen is gorgeous. But, I won’t pay that kind of money for a content consumption device. Even used iPad pros are over 1000€ here. The previous gen is the same price or more than the current one (refurbs are practically nonexistent). That sort of money is reserved for tools in my book, entertainment is secondary.

I’m giving the Surface a chance now, maybe I’ll end up selling it or maybe I’ll like it but the iPad does not interest me at the moment. I will miss unified pasteboard, though. That’s a killer feature.

 

[zach-coleman]

Nah, the problem isn’t really the hardware. When I bought the 2nd gen pro, there was this huge push toward a more productive iOS environment especially for artists and Apple made a big deal of it because the pen was new. There was a lot of promise. Since then, while Procreate has continued to evolve, everything else has just stagnated – moving files around is still cumbersome – airdrop is only good because using dropbox is so difficult – and, like I said, Adobe apps, Affinity apps are pretty crap on iPadOS. None of that promise has become reality. I know Apple has just released Logic and Final Cut and there’s Davinci and those are nice, but the experience is just not there.

What you can do well on the iPad at this point, what it’s really GOOD at, is content consumption, that screen is gorgeous. But, I won’t pay that kind of money for a content consumption device. Even used iPad pros are over 1000€ here. The previous gen is the same price or more than the current one (refurbs are practically nonexistent). That sort of money is reserved for tools in my book, entertainment is secondary.

I’m giving the Surface a chance now, maybe I’ll end up selling it or maybe I’ll like it but the iPad does not interest me at the moment. I will miss unified pasteboard, though. That’s a killer feature.

As a previous surface owner I find it to be the worst of both worlds (bad laptop, bad tablet, they both trip over each other) but hopefully you have a better experience.

 

[MZBS]

Should I wait for the MBP 16 M3 Max? I saw a very good price for the M2 Max (400€ less than in Apple) today and I don't know what to do, if the M3 is going to be just slightly better or if I should wait 6 more months for the M3.

I am changing my MBP 15 from 2014.

 

[darngooddesign]

Even after the ARM transition, we've seen Apple let hardware rot, like the M1 iMac, which Apple could have updated, but chose not to.

Apple deciding that the 24" iMac will be upgraded every other chip is not letting it rot.

Apple couldn't even bring itself to replace the M1 MBA with the M2 MBA, leaving the M1 MBA in the line-up.

Not sure why this sticks out considering Apple has been doing it with iPhones for the longest time. But the MBA was upgraded to M2.

It's also plausible that the M3 Mac Studio and Mac Pro might not even come out until 2025.

The Studio will be updated when there are M3-Max and M3-Ultra chips, so once the MBPs are updated to M3, the Studio will afterwards.

 

[GalileoSeven]

With as long as Apple's dithered with regards to the 'bigger' iMac, I'd like to think a majority of those prospective customers have moved on to a more modular setup (a mini/studio/MBP/MBA + separate monitor(s))

After dropping close to $2K on a 27" Retina 5K in 2017 myself, I can't justify $3500 or more, esp. given how much more convenient plugging in/unplugging my MBA to my 4K monitor is. A 5K monitor (the Dell 40" UW 5K2K) would be the only thing I'd upgrade, otherwise it's way cheaper in the long run IMO to buy these pieces separately

 

[lazyrighteye]

I agree. I'd love to have the following:

iPad - 10.9" / 12.9" / quad speakers / 60hz laminated screen / A-series SoC / Pencil 2 support
iPad Pro - 12.9" / 14" / quad speakers / ProMotion screen / M-series SoC / Pencil 2 support

Pencil 2 support should be mandatory across the board. Period. That some iPads offer Pencil 1 support, some Pencil 2 support and some neither(?), only adds to the confusion for the consumer.

 

[lazyrighteye]

M1 iPad mini with 120hz is all I want.

An iPad mini Pro(!) would be KILLER. Higher res screen is my only ask for the next mini. But an M-series inside would be the cherry on top.

Obviously, an individual's specific use-case can shape what they might need from a tablet. Some need the screen size, res and power of a Pro. For others, portability is the main need. That's what shapes my iPad needs most: portability. Of all the iPads I have used to date (been several over the years), my current mini 6 is easily my favorite to date. It's perfectly portable - completely replacing my traditional sketch pad. I'm not sure how one could own an iPad and not a Pencil. Pencil take sth iPad to a completely new space. The combo of mini 6 + Pencil 2 has redefined my workflow. For the better. As stated elsewhere (oh - HA - literally the post above ), I'd like to see Apple offer Pencil 2 (or future 3, 4, 5) support across all iPads. And I can even make a case for Pencil support on iPhone Pros (great differentiator between the iPhone and iPhone Pro lines as well as the fact that iPhones are now large enough to warrant Pencil support - almost exactly the same size of Fields Notes).

 

[TrancyGoose]

Someone is probably hard at work .... changing how camera lenses are positioned on devices 😂

 

[VeryVito]

I'm sick of waiting for a proper replacement for my 2017 iMac, so I guess Apple won. ...

A Mac Mini with 32GB of memory, a Studio Display, and an Apple keyboard and trackpad is now $3,646. Yes, it's faster than my current iMac, and I can reuse the display when I upgrade the Mac Mini in a few years, but holy ****, I've never spent so much money on a freaking computer.

The price is a bitter pill, indeed, but trust me when I say that you'll be getting SO. MUCH. MORE. of an upgrade than any previous Mac update you've experienced to date. The difference between the Intel and Apple Silicon macs is night and day. I grudgingly moved from a 2018 i9 to a 2021 M1 Max, and I have yet to find anything this machine cannot handle.

 

[smulji]

Higher res screen is my only ask for the next mini

For me it's ProMotion screen and FaceID.

 

[ric22]

The iMac Pro was priced starting at $4999.

Times have changed. I'm not sure what a big hit it was in the first place, when at least you could change the RAM and SSD with some effort.

 

[lazyrighteye]

For me it's ProMotion screen and FaceID.

Mmm, good call on FaceID.

 

[DMG35]

Times have changed. I'm not sure what a big hit it was in the first place, when at least you could change the RAM and SSD with some effort.

They have changed in that things are much more expensive now. Apple isn't lowering the prices of any of their devices. They are making them more expensive.

 

[Powerbooky]

I don't want to be toxic but can someone explain to me why people give any sort of relevance to what Gurman said. He said just omega obvious/consensual things all the time.
I get this guy has a good network but what he said is just pointless

It has only one purpose: pushing the stock market, teasing investors.

 

[ric22]

They have changed in that things are much more expensive now. Apple isn't lowering the prices of any of their devices. They are making them more expensive.

Are you saying it's going to be a bigger hit this time around at a higher price, now that petrol and milk and other essentials cost more, while salaries have widely stagnated?

 

[darngooddesign]

They have changed in that things are much more expensive now. Apple isn't lowering the prices of any of their devices. They are making them more expensive.

Apple lowered the price of the 13" M2 MacBook Air in the US.

 

[DMG35]

Apple lowered the price of the 13" M2 MacBook Air in the US.

Upon the release of a more expensive device, the 15" Air.

 

[DMG35]

Are you saying it's going to be a bigger hit this time around at a higher price, now that petrol and milk and other essentials cost more, while salaries have widely stagnated?

You are the one that said times have changed. They haven't. Apple devices are going to continue to get more and more expensive just like the cost of gas and milk are more expensive regardless of what salaries are doing.

 

[ric22]

? Prices flying up at unprecedented rates across the board and you say nothing has changed? Riiiiight

 

[MikeTech]

Think of the cost in terms of how much you spend on an equivalent Windows PC in the same amount of time that the Mac set up will last. When I got my first iMac in 2012, I was a bit shell shocked that I was spending over $3000 on a computer...but it lasted seven years. I never had a PC that would make it past 2½ years before needing to be replaced..and they cost around $2000-2300 each. In the long run, the iMac was cheaper.

Sorry, but this just isn’t true. I just built a new Windows 11 gaming computer, that is basically a monster, for around two (ish) grand. But the last computer I built lasted four years with ease. I upgraded the cpu in that one and gave it to my son. I also reapplied thermal paste on the GPU and cleaned the case. It’s like brand new with little effort/cost.

I love my Apple stuff (MacBook Air M1, Apple Watch 7, iPhone 14 Pro Max etc. etc.), but it’s a myth that Windows computers can’t last as long. You can also upgrade those with little effort/low cost.

 

[theorist9]

I'm sick of waiting for a proper replacement for my 2017 iMac, so I guess Apple won. I'm buying a Studio Display and a Mac Mini. I tried the Dell 27" 4K monitor for a while, but the scaling issues are terrible, and the image quality isn't anywhere near Apple's. I've waited for the Samsung Viewfinity S9, but I should have known better. Based on the first review, it also sucks.

The only question left: how much am I going to spend? The 2017 iMac was costly then, but I will surely break my personal record at the Apple Store. I just want a speedier machine, screen size is fine. You would expect that a similar, more up-to-date machine would be cheaper, but I need to spend hundreds of dollars more this round to get a similar setup.

A Mac Mini with 32GB of memory, a Studio Display, and an Apple keyboard and trackpad is now $3,646. Yes, it's faster than my current iMac, and I can reuse the display when I upgrade the Mac Mini in a few years, but holy ****, I've never spent so much money on a freaking computer.

What size SSD are you getting, is the display nano-textured, and is that price before tax?

A 2020 27" i7 iMac with 32 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, glossy display, and mid-range GPU (5500 XT) (the least expensive one available with the i7), with KB and mouse, was about the same price—$3,500+ tax. [Upgrades include i9 for $400, 5700XT for $500, and nano-texture for $500.] And you're getting a far more powerful machine than even the $4400 i9/5700XT combo.

Historically, Apple hasn't dropped prices on newer machines. They tend to keep them roughly the same, while improving performance (there is some effective price drop because of inflation). Look, for instance, at the base price of the 13" MBA. IIRC, it's hovered around $1,000 – $1,100 for several years.

The difference is that, with your 2017 iMac, you could buy it min-spec'd and add the RAM and SSD on your own, thus avoiding Apple's high prices for those. But with the Mini, you can't.

Having said that, I agree it's unfortunate they don't have a consumer-priced external Retina display. A starting price of $1600 is prosumer, to my mind.

 

[msrp]

Think of the cost in terms of how much you spend on an equivalent Windows PC in the same amount of time that the Mac set up will last. When I got my first iMac in 2012, I was a bit shell shocked that I was spending over $3000 on a computer...but it lasted seven years. I never had a PC that would make it past 2½ years before needing to be replaced..and they cost around $2000-2300 each. In the long run, the iMac was cheaper.

have you been replacing your windows pcs completely? that would be ridiculous. the key reason for windows pcs is ugradeability, then you only need to spend 500-1000 every 5 years for a significant upgrade and not 3k all over again