Top Stories: M4 Macs Next Week, iOS 18.2 Beta, and More

[MacRumors]

Apple's flurry of activity to close out October is well underway, led on the hardware side by the launch of the new iPad mini and Apple uncharacteriscally teasing some Mac updates for next week even without an announced event.

On the software side, Apple Intelligence is ready to make its debut in iOS 18.1 and related updates next week, but Apple has already begun beta testing further AI features in iOS 18.2, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Teases M4 Mac Announcements Next Week

We've long been expecting several Mac launches to happen around the end of this month, and Apple has now essentially made it official with marketing chief Greg Joswiak teasing an "exciting week of announcements" coming up centered around a Mac theme.

Check out our overview of everything we're expecting to see next week, with the most notable Mac update being a redesigned Mac mini.

Hands-On With the New iPad Mini 7

Following last week's press release announcement of the seventh-generation iPad mini, the latest version of Apple's smallest tablet is now available and we've had a chance to go hands-on with it.

While the new iPad mini looks nearly identical to its predecessor, it does include a number of internal improvements, led by the A17 Pro chip that brings support for Apple Intelligence.

Apple Seeds iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 Release Candidates With Apple Intelligence

Apple is rumored to be releasing iOS 18.1 and related operating system updates this coming Monday, October 28, and things certainly seem to be lining up for that to happen as Apple this week seeded release candidate versions of the updates to developers and public beta testers.

The updates bring the first Apple Intelligence features for compatible devices, as well as a number of other additions and tweaks. Also included are new hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2, and we went ears-on with the hearing test that can determine whether you're experiencing hearing loss and configure the AirPods Pro to serve as a hearing aid.

Apple Releases First Betas of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

iOS 18.1 hasn't even been officially released yet, but Apple is already moving forward with developer beta testing of iOS 18.2 and related updates for devices that support Apple Intelligence.

iOS 18.2 brings a number of highly anticipated Apple Intelligence features including Image Playground, Image Wand, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16 users, and more. There are plenty of non-Apple Intelligence changes as well, so make sure to check out our overview of everything new in iOS 18.2. Dan and Hartley also tackled the iOS 18.2 changes in this week's episode of The MacRumors Show.

Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the Vision Pro headset is "not a mass-market product" given its $3,500 starting price, but argued that it's an early-adopter product for "people who want to have tomorrow's technology today."

Photo via Vanity Fair​

The interview comes as a new report from The Information claims that Apple has abruptly reduced production of the Vision Pro and could halt production of the current version entirely by the end of the year, as it may have enough units on hand at that point to satisfy expected future demand.

iPhone SE 4 Mass Production Timeframe Revealed as Launch Gets Closer

Mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to get underway sometime in December, setting the stage for an anticipated launch in the first part of 2025. The update will bring a more modern design based on the iPhone 14 but with enough beefed-up internal specs to support Apple Intelligence.

That's not the only Apple product expected to see a launch in the first half of 2025, however, with production of M4-based MacBook Air models also expected to begin soon. Updates for the iPad Air and entry-level iPad are also expected, with new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models to follow.

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... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: Top Stories: M4 Macs Next Week, iOS 18.2 Beta, and More

 

[Alvin777]

Cool and it's not even Apple's 1nm fab SOC yet

 

[HJM.NL]

I hope the update for the iPad mini doesn’t reflect the rest of apple’s offerings because it’s a disgrace of a multi trillion company:

 

[Velin]

Looking forward to the M4 announcements.

Also, Mac users are in much better shape with Apple silicon at the moment.

PC-land has had a pretty rough year with the multiple Intel defects and problems, motherboard manufacturer problems earlier in the year, and this week's Intel release (the 285 and 245 CPUs) are grossly overpriced zeroes. I used to think I may circle back to getting at least a Windoze desktop box, but when I saw ASUS mobos melting and exploding AMD chips, well, that thought was over.

 

[switz]

Pleased with new iPad mini v7 512GB Cellular on iPadOS 8.2. Seems quicker doing the usual stuff while waiting on car service using the dealer's WiFi. Will look at AI stuff today. Probably more hype than useful at this point.

On my M4 iPad Pro, I had a few legacy apps flagged for deletion as they would no longer run on the iPadOS 8.2.

Really want to see the new M4 MacBook Pro specs and compare them to my M1 MAX version. If the chassis is the same, will get a loaded 16" model this time for bigger screen that can support larger text....... Vision degradation at 80 is a new challenge to be endured.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I hope the update for the iPad mini doesn’t reflect the rest of apple’s offerings because it’s a disgrace of a multi trillion company:

To answer the Question posed by that YouTube thumbnail..

"No"

 

[Realityck]

I hope the update for the iPad mini doesn’t reflect the rest of apple’s offerings because it’s a disgrace of a multi trillion company:

Like it or not it’s always a personal choice whether you want to use an updated product or not. There really isn’t any options based on preconceived tech wish lists that people wish that Apple provides except occasionally. Aside from the M4 iPad Pro everything else iPad centric is just updated to maintain the perceived value and support the future usage of each product. Recently we had similar thoughts with the latest M2 IPad Air, and moving to iPhone 16 line up hardware wise about the same.

It mostly boils down to this question for all perspective buyers does the current marketed product represent a good value and is it worth upgrading or getting this product because of your usage needs?

The main draw to buying a IPad mini 7 is it’s wonderful to utilize. No other iPad model can you really curl up somewhere comfortable and hold it one handed anywhere.

 

[HJM.NL]

Like it or not it’s always a personal choice whether you want to use an updated product or not. There really isn’t any options based on preconceived tech wish lists that people wish that Apple provides except occasionally. Aside from the M4 iPad Pro everything else iPad centric is just updated to maintain the perceived value and support the future usage of each product. Recently we had similar thoughts with the latest M2 IPad Air, and moving to iPhone 16 line up hardware wise about the same.

It mostly boils down to this question for all perspective buyers does the current marketed product represent a good value and is it worth upgrading or getting this product because of your usage needs?

The main draw to buying a IPad mini 7 is it’s wonderful to utilize. No other iPad model can you really curl up somewhere comfortable and hold it one handed anywhere.

I’ll understand the iPad mini is comfortable to hold. That’s it! It took three years to “develop” and it’s still using that old lcd display. Like the watch 10, iPhone 16, the lack of a better iPad os and probably no AI in Europe for a long time to come. I’ll pass this year. If the new Mac’s are only a chip swap and some updated specs like Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6e, I’m really wondering what’s going on at Apple. Can’t imagine that their own engineers and developers are happy with the crap what’s coming out these days. If Apple does a yearly update (like every self respecting tech company) I could understand. But gone are the days they were the frontrunners of new technology. So why are they charging that much for yesterdays tech? That’s pure greediness.

 

[anthogag]

I don’t think Tim Cook admitted “the truth” about Vision Pro. They probably believed from day 1 it would not be a mass market device because it is expensive. They are happy a lot of people did buy Vision Pro and are working to make a less expensive device for the mass market.

 

[DarthDon]

I remember how - many years ago - my 5 year old iBook was much faster than my brand new Thinkpad. And firewire was so much faster than usb...

 

[Realityck]

I’ll understand the iPad mini is comfortable to hold. That’s it! It took three years to “develop” and it’s still using that old lcd display. Like the watch 10, iPhone 16, the lack of a better iPad os and probably no AI in Europe for a long time to come. I’ll pass this year. If the new Mac’s are only a chip swap and some updated specs like Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6e, I’m really wondering what’s going on at Apple. Can’t imagine that their own engineers and developers are happy with the crap what’s coming out these days. If Apple does a yearly update (like every self respecting tech company) I could understand. But gone are the days they were the frontrunners of new technology. So why are they charging that much for yesterdays tech? That’s pure greediness.

We see many tech industries products that are just offering updates, rarely something with form factor design changes. So yeah we are now at the era of mostly chip swaps and updated specs, not form factor updates as you mentioned from Apple.

Look at what you get next week

MacBook Pro - Apple is expected to announce new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, including an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
No major external design changes have been rumored for the laptops this year, with improvements such as an OLED display and thinner design not expected until 2026 at the earliest.

iMac 24" - The next iMac is expected to be equipped with the standard M4 chip, up from the M3 chip in the current model released a year ago. No major design changes have been rumored for Apple's all-in-one desktop computer this year.

Mac mini - The next Mac mini is expected to be available with M4 and M4 Pro chip options. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the next Mac mini to be smaller, making it closer in size to an Apple TV, and he said that the computer will gain two front-facing USB-C ports. All in all, the Mac mini is expected to receive its biggest redesign since 2010.

There's even the conjecture that Apple might still use 8GB RAM to keep the price lower of the M4 Mac mini with the base model. So for all of us anticipating the announcements, it's about the same again. What would be nice to see other products have updates, perhaps that rare form factor change and increase variety of choices. The shift to OLED wide spread usage is still not yet happening until 2026 per rumors.

 

[marclondon]

Looking forward to the M4 announcements.

Also, Mac users are in much better shape with Apple silicon at the moment.

PC-land has had a pretty rough year with the multiple Intel defects and problems, motherboard manufacturer problems earlier in the year, and this week's Intel release (the 285 and 245 CPUs) are grossly overpriced zeroes. I used to think I may circle back to getting at least a Windoze desktop box, but when I saw ASUS mobos melting and exploding AMD chips, well, that thought was over.

Any views on Snapdragon/Copilot - I'm sticking with Macs personally but thinking of getting a Snapdragon laptop for my student son.

 

[picpicmac]

because it’s a disgrace of a multi trillion company:

That is a statement about you, and the ones who made the video you linked, and others who think like you.

You're trying to make a moral argument out of a bit of electronics that is produced to fill a particular market.

You want to know what is a disgrace? People who think bits of aluminum and electronics are important to their meaning in life.

 

[citysnaps]

I’ll understand the iPad mini is comfortable to hold. That’s it! It took three years to “develop” and it’s still using that old lcd display. Like the watch 10, iPhone 16, the lack of a better iPad os and probably no AI in Europe for a long time to come. I’ll pass this year. If the new Mac’s are only a chip swap and some updated specs like Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 6e, I’m really wondering what’s going on at Apple. Can’t imagine that their own engineers and developers are happy with the crap what’s coming out these days. If Apple does a yearly update (like every self respecting tech company) I could understand. But gone are the days they were the frontrunners of new technology. So why are they charging that much for yesterdays tech? That’s pure greediness.

With your views about Apple being so awful in so many aspects, and being so greedy, why are you still interested in Apple products?

I'd move on and dump them in a flash if I had similar views. Much better than wallowing in misery.

 

[ZipZilla]

the new mac mini is almost certainly coming

 

[gagaliya]

I really don’t understand apples logic, by releasing the mac mini m4 pro it will be equal or better than the M2 Max Mac studio in most aspects except gpu cores for gaming, and even that the gap will be pretty small. So effectively they are kneel capping their own mac studio sales over the holiday season as very few if anyone will buy that over the m4 pro mac mini

What is the logic here, why not just release the m4 both in the mac studio and mini at the same time? You got a literal army of people and hundreds of production sites but can’t figure out how to swap a m2 with a m4 in an identical mac case? Unbelievable…

 

[Baseiseough]

I really don’t understand apples logic, by releasing the mac mini m4 pro it will be equal or better than the M2 Max Mac studio.

What tells us there will be a pro version of the new mini? The entry level MacBook Pro doesn’t even have a pro chip anymore.

Maybe Apple will change the configurations. In order to raise the profit margins while adding 8GB of RAM for AI and to better differentiate the products, they may decide to do the following:

Mini/Air/Imac: M4
Studio: pro/max
Mac Pro: Ultra

Sure, I plucked this prediction out of my bottom and I hope I’m wrong, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple doing something like this.

 

[Westside guy]

Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the Vision Pro headset is "not a mass-market product" given its $3,500 starting price, but argued that it's an early-adopter product for "people who want to have tomorrow's technology today."

He's not really "admitting the truth", since it's pretty obvious Apple intended the Vision Pro to be a mass-market product. All he's doing is trying to reset expectations due to disappointing sales volume.

Basically he's just dealing with reality.

 

[Velin]

Any views on Snapdragon/Copilot - I'm sticking with Macs personally but thinking of getting a Snapdragon laptop for my student son.

None yet. If you get a Snap laptop, let us know. Just haven't paid any attention to Qualcomm chips.

 

[pdoherty]

Pleased with new iPad mini v7 512GB Cellular on iPadOS 8.2. Seems quicker doing the usual stuff while waiting on car service using the dealer's WiFi. Will look at AI stuff today. Probably more hype than useful at this point.

On my M4 iPad Pro, I had a few legacy apps flagged for deletion as they would no longer run on the iPadOS 8.2.

Really want to see the new M4 MacBook Pro specs and compare them to my M1 MAX version. If the chassis is the same, will get a loaded 16" model this time for bigger screen that can support larger text....... Vision degradation at 80 is a new challenge to be endured.

Hold up, what? What apps that worked in iPadOS 17.x won't somehow work in the new OS? That seems a pretty big problem if it affects very many apps.

 

[citysnaps]

He's not really "admitting the truth", since it's pretty obvious Apple intended the Vision Pro to be a mass-market product. All he's doing is trying to reset expectations due to disappointing sales volume.

Basically he's just dealing with reality.

Seriously? Like an iPhone, Watch, or MacBook? That’s a real knee-slapper! Nope.

That was never Apple’s intention.

 

[spcopsmac21]

Apple's flurry of activity to close out October is well underway, led on the hardware side by the launch of the new iPad mini and Apple uncharacteriscally teasing some Mac updates for next week even without an announced event.

On the software side, Apple Intelligence is ready to make its debut in iOS 18.1 and related updates next week, but Apple has already begun beta testing further AI features in iOS 18.2, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Teases M4 Mac Announcements Next Week

We've long been expecting several Mac launches to happen around the end of this month, and Apple has now essentially made it official with marketing chief Greg Joswiak teasing an "exciting week of announcements" coming up centered around a Mac theme.

Check out our overview of everything we're expecting to see next week, with the most notable Mac update being a redesigned Mac mini.

Hands-On With the New iPad Mini 7

Following last week's press release announcement of the seventh-generation iPad mini, the latest version of Apple's smallest tablet is now available and we've had a chance to go hands-on with it.

While the new iPad mini looks nearly identical to its predecessor, it does include a number of internal improvements, led by the A17 Pro chip that brings support for Apple Intelligence.

Apple Seeds iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 Release Candidates With Apple Intelligence

Apple is rumored to be releasing iOS 18.1 and related operating system updates this coming Monday, October 28, and things certainly seem to be lining up for that to happen as Apple this week seeded release candidate versions of the updates to developers and public beta testers.

The updates bring the first Apple Intelligence features for compatible devices, as well as a number of other additions and tweaks. Also included are new hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2, and we went ears-on with the hearing test that can determine whether you're experiencing hearing loss and configure the AirPods Pro to serve as a hearing aid.

Apple Releases First Betas of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

iOS 18.1 hasn't even been officially released yet, but Apple is already moving forward with developer beta testing of iOS 18.2 and related updates for devices that support Apple Intelligence.

iOS 18.2 brings a number of highly anticipated Apple Intelligence features including Image Playground, Image Wand, Genmoji, ChatGPT integration, Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16 users, and more. There are plenty of non-Apple Intelligence changes as well, so make sure to check out our overview of everything new in iOS 18.2. Dan and Hartley also tackled the iOS 18.2 changes in this week's episode of The MacRumors Show.

Tim Cook Admits Truth About Vision Pro Following Lackluster Sales

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that the Vision Pro headset is "not a mass-market product" given its $3,500 starting price, but argued that it's an early-adopter product for "people who want to have tomorrow's technology today."

Photo via Vanity Fair​

The interview comes as a new report from The Information claims that Apple has abruptly reduced production of the Vision Pro and could halt production of the current version entirely by the end of the year, as it may have enough units on hand at that point to satisfy expected future demand.

iPhone SE 4 Mass Production Timeframe Revealed as Launch Gets Closer

Mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to get underway sometime in December, setting the stage for an anticipated launch in the first part of 2025. The update will bring a more modern design based on the iPhone 14 but with enough beefed-up internal specs to support Apple Intelligence.

That's not the only Apple product expected to see a launch in the first half of 2025, however, with production of M4-based MacBook Air models also expected to begin soon. Updates for the iPad Air and entry-level iPad are also expected, with new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models to follow.

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... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: Top Stories: M4 Macs Next Week, iOS 18.2 Beta, and More

Mac Mini, think slim. Think short, think no chunky like the studio.
Like an iPad Pro stacked upon itself and folded in half, twice.

Equal space above and below the ports, no fans and a two piece aluminum shell with a WiFi antenna in the Apple logo.

 

[Edsel]

You heard it here first.... Apple is releasing a M4 Lisa!

 

[InnSuu]

...Really want to see the new M4 MacBook Pro specs and compare them to my M1 MAX version. ...

I would really be interested if you report back on the comparison. I haven't jumped to Apple Silicon but have been tempted by secondhand m1max 16"'ers (2nd hand for economic reasons). If the m4 is a significant improvement, Apple may get my £1000's...

 

[switz]

Apple advertises that the M1 series are AI compatible but fail to mention what memory size will allow best performance from that series CPU chip.

Both my 14" M1 MacBook Pro Max and M1 Ultra MacStudio have the maximum memory available and my readings suggest that having the maximum memory will allow the M1 series to run the AI stuff well where the base memory could struggle or fail.

The M1 MacBook Pro MAX could have 64GB of memory, the M2 could have 96GB of memory and the M3 could have 128GB of memory. One could guess that the M4 version could have 160GB of memory.

The Ultra Mac Studio could have 128GB of memory and the M2 could have 192GB of memory. Since there is no M3 Ultra Mac Studio, one could guess that the M4 Ultra could have two versions - in the Mac Studio with 256GB of memory and in the Mac Tower 512GB of memory for performance enhancement.