Top Stories: iOS 19 Compatibility, Top 5 Apple Products for 2025, and More

[MacRumors]

It's shaping up to be a busy 2025 for Apple, with a number of rumors and articles this week highlighting some of what we can expect.

While the unveiling of iOS 19 is still over five months away, we're already hearing about which devices are likely to support it, while in the much nearer term Apple is currently preparing an iOS 18.2.1 bug fix update that should be released very shortly. This week we also took a look at the top five new Apple products we're expecting to see in 2025, plus we're hearing rumors about timing for the first 2025 product launches and beyond, so read on for all the details!

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

According to a report from French website iPhoneSoft.fr, all iPhone models that are compatible with iOS 18 will also support iOS 19, meaning that devices all the way back to the iPhone XS/XR and second-generation iPhone SE will be able to run the next major update of iOS coming next year, though certain features will undoubtedly be limited to more recent models.

The report also claims the vast majority of iPad models compatible with iPadOS 18 will similarly be able to run iPadOS 19, with the exception of the seventh-generation iPad that was released in September 2019 and discontinued a year later.

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more.

As a look ahead to the new year, we've highlighted the top five Apple products that we believe will have the biggest impact in 2025.

iOS 18.2.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhone

iOS 18.2 was released to the public several weeks ago while iOS 18.3 remains in beta testing, so Apple is currently preparing an interim iOS 18.2.1 update that will be able to deliver security patches and perhaps some bug fixes before iOS 18.3 is ready for release.

We've seen signs of iOS 18.2.1 in our own web analytics, while a reliable source has even leaked the exact build number we should expect for the update.

New MacBook Air Models With M4 Chip Expected to Launch 'Earlier' Than iPhone SE 4 and iPad 11

We're expecting three significant new Apple products in the first part of 2025, but it looks like they won't all be arriving simultaneously.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, MacBook Air models based on the M4 chip should arrive first, while the fourth-generation iPhone SE and the eleventh-generation iPad will come a bit later.

Macs With M5 Chips Expected to Launch in This Order

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week outlined mass production timing for the M5 series of chips, which he expects to be used in both future Macs and Apple Intelligence servers. The rollout will likely begin next year.

Kuo expects the standard M5 chip to enter mass production in the first half of 2025, followed by the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips in the second half of the year. Then, he expects the M5 Ultra chip to enter mass production in 2026.

iPhone Sizes Change Next Year: What to Know

This year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and next year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup.

The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max won't be getting any bigger, so they'll be sticking with the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays found on the current Pro models. But the regular iPhone 17 should be matching its Pro sibling, up from the current 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 16.

Meanwhile, the Plus model will reportedly be replaced by an entirely new model, informally dubbed the iPhone 17 Air. This ultra-thin model will reportedly have a display measuring around 6.6 inches.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Article Link: Top Stories: iOS 19 Compatibility, Top 5 Apple Products for 2025, and More

 

[Darren.h]

I have ordered a M4 pro Mac mini 14 core CPU 20 Core GPU 10 Gig Ethernet. cause my 2019 i9 27 inch iMac is now an unreliable piece of junk.

But I am holding out for an M5 Max Mac Studio. was going to order the M4 Max version but M5 would be nice

After that all there is is 2nm Apple Silicon.

 

[Matsamoto]

If this rumor is true, that iPhone Xs and Xr will receive iOS 19, it means that Apple will support their phones for 7 years.
And also 2 years of security update!
So total of 9 years. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I think my 15 Pro will stay for many, many years😊

 

[I7guy]

iOS 18 was a huge update. Is iOS 19 going to be the tock in tick tock?

 

[John_Blackthorne]

I was watching Jobs' keynote of the introduction of the MacBook Air. The MacBook product line back then was MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

This looks like what is happening to iPhone.

Good/Entry model: iPhone.

Better model: iPhone Air.

Best model: iPhone Pro.

 

[Belisama]

I was watching Jobs' keynote of the introduction of the MacBook Air. The MacBook product line back then was MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

This looks like what is happening to iPhone.

Good/Entry model: iPhone.

Better model: iPhone Air.

Best model: iPhone Pro.

Except "MacBook" does not exist anymore.
The "Air" devices don't make sense IMO.
We should have MacBook and MacBook Pro, iPad and iPad Pro, iPhone and iPhone Pro...
What makes the Pad "Air" more "Air" than the iPad ? These names are just very confusing.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If this rumor is true, that iPhone Xs and Xr will receive iOS 19, it means that Apple will support their phones for 7 years.
And also 2 years of security update!
So total of 9 years. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I think my 15 Pro will stay for many, many years😊

Approx. 7-9 is about normal for most Apple tech.

Of course, starting at about 4-5 years, new features may not be "fully implemented due to <excuse>" and by about 6 or 7 the mysterious "long in tooth" effect is at vampire levels.

 

[HJM.NL]

It's shaping up to be a busy 2025 for Apple

It has to be a busy year for Apple. So much neglect on a wide range of hard- and software, it has to be.

For example on the software side:

When did we get an update of their iWork suite (pages, keynote, iMovie) what comes with every sold Mac, iPhone, iPad? I’m not talking about bug fixes but real updates.

When did their pro software got an update? Final Cut Pro, motion, logic, etc. Is Apple already implementing AI like removing unwanted objects in movies, automated subtitles, other magic AI things that really help the productivity and are already being implemented by Adobe and others?

On the hardware side:
Again neglect on the pro models. I sometimes wonder if Apple neglects these areas on purpose. These days a macmini pro is faster than a $ 10.000 Mac Pro. How could Apple let that happen is beyond me and a pure insult to the ones invested in the pro models.

Can’t Apple sell a modern motherboard at a special price for those who put their trust on Apple and bought a Macpro or studio? Aren’t they upgradable or modular built??

If Apple is taken their pro business seriously they’ve to provide a clear path with their pro machines into the future. Or if it’s willing to grow. If not, be clear about it and honest to your prosumers.

Give your iPhones and iPads the RAM it needs for future upgrades. 8 GB is too less. If iOS gets real multitasking in the future (Android has been multitasking from the start) it needs more RAM.

BTW: what happened to Apple’s next gen CarPlay. Didn’t Apple make a presentation of all the car brands that would rolling out this next gen CarPlay by 2024? Still a few days left to see if this is vaporware as well 🤔

 

[iGüey]

All I want is a flip iPhone, to have a larger screen in a small footprint device.

 

[I7guy]

It has to be a busy year for Apple. So much neglect on a wide range of hard- and software, it has to be.

For example on the software side:

When did we get an update of their iWork suite (pages, keynote, iMovie) what comes with every sold Mac, iPhone, iPad? I’m not talking about bug fixes but real updates.

When did their pro software got an update? Final Cut Pro, motion, logic, etc. Is Apple already implementing AI like removing unwanted objects in movies, automated subtitles, other magic AI things that really help the productivity and are already being implemented by Adobe and others?

On the hardware side:
Again neglect on the pro models. I sometimes wonder if Apple neglects these areas on purpose. These days a macmini pro is faster than a $ 10.000 Mac Pro. How could Apple let that happen is beyond me and a pure insult to the ones invested in the pro models.

Can’t Apple sell a modern motherboard at a special price for those who put their trust on Apple and bought a Macpro or studio? Aren’t they upgradable or modular built??

If Apple is taken their pro business seriously they’ve to provide a clear path with their pro machines into the future. Or if it’s willing to grow. If not, be clear about it and honest to your prosumers.

Give your iPhones and iPads the RAM it needs for future upgrades. 8 GB is too less. If iOS gets real multitasking in the future (Android has been multitasking from the start) it needs more RAM.

BTW: what happened to Apple’s next gen CarPlay. Didn’t Apple make a presentation of all the car brands that would rolling out this next gen CarPlay by 2024? Still a few days left to see if this is vaporware as well 🤔

You bring up some good points. The same posters that criticized apple for various things in 2024, will continue that theme into 2025. Lol

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

...and the same defenders will be there to defend Apple above all else, even against the opinions of fellow consumers. LOL

 

[Bento.Box]

hmm, no replacement for my iphone 13 mini in sight.

I'd probably switch to Android since apple no longer has an advantage in size.

 

[iGüey]

I think we have to be as objective as possible. I don’t have any shares of Apple (nor rival companies), so I don’t have any compromises to defend nor to criticize Apple.

...and the same defenders will be there to defend Apple above all else, even against the opinions of fellow consumers. LOL

What I do see is that history shows us that people who defend a company above all else, even when the people know that the company is making mistakes, just help to lead the company to a comfort zone that generally leads the companies to fail and to make more mistakes, potentially causing to lose market share.

The same posters that criticized apple for various things in 2024, will continue that theme into 2025. Lol

In the other hand I think that people that criticize Apple here in MR, is people that want to get the best from Apple, knowing that Apple is the best technology company and the only one with the potential of pleasantly surprise us. Get the best devices among all the technology market, is for me the reason to ask more from Apple.

So let’s be more objective to point out its successes and mistakes without any compromises.

 

[coffeemilktea]

I don't know if I'm just getting old, but I don't feel any hype for the rumored 2025 Apple products. Longer iOS support? Slightly different iPhone sizes? Upcoming M4 and M5 Macs? It's cool, but like... I miss the days of lining up for new Apple products or when people at my office would drop everything to livestream Apple events. I don't think either of those things are happening for 2025. 🥲

 

[I7guy]

I think we have to be as objective as possible. I don’t have any shares of Apple (nor rival companies), so I don’t have any compromises to defend nor to criticize Apple.


What I do see is that history shows us that people who defend a company above all else, even when the people know that the company is making mistakes, just help to lead the company to a comfort zone that generally leads the companies to fail and to make more mistakes, potentially causing to lose market share.


In the other hand I think that people that criticize Apple here in MR, is people that want to get the best from Apple, knowing that Apple is the best technology company and the only one with the potential of pleasantly surprise us. Get the best devices among all the technology market, is for me the reason to ask more from Apple.

Perfect. Constructive as opposed to destructive debate is in order then.

So let’s be more objective to point out its successes and mistakes without any compromises.

Let’s be more constructive.👍

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

If this rumor is true, that iPhone Xs and Xr will receive iOS 19, it means that Apple will support their phones for 7 years.
And also 2 years of security update!
So total of 9 years. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I think my 15 Pro will stay for many, many years😊

You sound like someone who's never actually held onto a new iPhone for more than 3-4 years max but just reads about which older iPhones still run the latest iOS.

Like, yes, theoretically, the updates are there. But with the extremely, unnecessarily low RAM Apple has been giving iPhones up until iPhones 15 or 16, most of all the older iPhones will feel sluggish at the 3-4 year mark after launch.

That, of course, means you're still probably right about your 15 Pro.

But you're not going to get any excitement from Xs and Xr owners running iOS 18, and most certainly not iOS 19, trust me. Those models are just 3GB RAM and are lagging hard on the latest update even though they barely get any new features.

Supported for almost 10 years is better than many other brands. But Apple certainly isn't optimizing iOS for the older devices.

Apple's support and security updates for older devices is overhyped.

 

[Homme]

But you're not going to get any excitement from Xs and Xr owners running iOS 18, and most certainly not iOS 19, trust me. Those models are just 3GB RAM and are lagging hard on the latest update even though they barely get any new features.

XS has 4GB of RAM

 

[dalestrauss]

So in effect the same old same old - more speed and processing power for Mac and iPads that can't begin use all the power, speed and efficiency they already have.

 

[iGüey]

This looks like what is happening to iPhone.

Good/Entry model: iPhone.

Better model: iPhone Air.

Best model: iPhone Pro.

I’m pretty sure that the so-called iPhone “Air” is just an euphemism to let the market know that something different is coming, but not necessarily an ultra-thin and lighter iPhone than the current ones as many people have literally understood it.

Remember that ultra-thin phones tend to bend, plus I don't think the market is expecting a much thinner iPhone these days.

So my bet is that “iPhone Air” is just a coded denomination to refer to a flip or foldable iPhone. I really hope I’m right.

Just time will tell….

 

[John_Blackthorne]

I really do think the so-called “Air” iPhone is just an euphemism to let the market know that something different is coming, but not necessarily an ultra-thin and lighter iPhone than the current ones as many people have literally understood it.

Remember that ultra-thin phones tend to bend, plus I don't think the market is expecting a much thinner iPhone these days.

So my bet is that “iPhone Air” is just a coded denomination to refer to a flip or foldable iPhone. I really hope I’m right.

Just time will tell….

I don't know if it will be called "Air," but it would hold the "better" model in the iPhone line up, with the Pro being "best."

But calling it the all new "iPhone Air" and making it really thin would be a great marketing tactic to tackle the static Mini/Max lines, which apparently aren't selling well.

Know what is selling well?

15" MacBook Air.

So yeah, I think they could call it the Air. Not 100%, but definitely not 0%.

 

[flybass]

Apple is selling me on the 16 if the rumor is true that the 17 will be bigger…

 

[bodonnell202]

If this rumor is true, that iPhone Xs and Xr will receive iOS 19, it means that Apple will support their phones for 7 years.
And also 2 years of security update!
So total of 9 years. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I think my 15 Pro will stay for many, many years😊

The XS/XS Max and XR launched with iOS 12 and considering they can update to iOS 18 that already means 7 years of software updates.

They aren’t the first either as the iPhone 6s/6s Plus also got 7 years of software updates, but then the 7/7 Plus, 8/8 Plus and X only got 6 years so it’s not always consistent. At this point 6-7 years from launch of software updates plus 2 years of security updates seems to be the standard.

If the XS/XS Max and XR get iOS 19 that will mean 8 years of software updates for those devices. I’d be surprised if that actually happens but it could happen.

 

[switz]

We older folks went of the track about four turns back. The perfect phone for us is a cellphone with large keyboard numbers and enough memory for our few contacts and a solid cell phone signal provider and it fits in a shirt pocket.

All the other "stuff" serves to confuse the basic task of making and receiving a call while out of the house.

Those basic cell phones are still being made in places like southern Africa where we saw most folks had just that equipment. They were priced for what those folks could afford which was below $50. They seemingly are not subject to virus attacks and do not require an engineering degree to operate them.

We in the USA get to pay over $2,000 for a iPhone 16 Pro Max with 1TB of memory, sales taxes and Apple Care plus. The complexity of features we did not ask for and have no use for adds to the bewilderment of just having more computer power than all the computer power used to send men to the moon in 1969.

I just want to make or receive a call.

Not everyone has been involved with computers since the late 1960s. Just saying .......

 

[Kiwamu]

If phones get any bigger we will soon get the iPhone Pad with a gorgeous, first on iPhone, 8.3 inch display...

 

[John_Blackthorne]

Except "MacBook" does not exist anymore.
The "Air" devices don't make sense IMO.
We should have MacBook and MacBook Pro, iPad and iPad Pro, iPhone and iPhone Pro...
What makes the Pad "Air" more "Air" than the iPad ? These names are just very confusing.

True, but who's to say they don't go back to it to simplify and spice up the iPhone product line?

Whatever this current strategy is, it works for regular iPhone and Pro models, but not so much for the Mini/Max strategy phones.

Why not something new with a slightly higher price point for a slightly better product before you hit "Pro" territory?

I could also see them increasing the price of the Pros by another $100.00 with this as a better phone for most people, and the Pros being really more for professional video work, as these are cameras more than phones at this point.