For some product lines, Apple follows a predictable release cycle that gives customers certainty and enables them to make considered purchasing decisions. But for other products, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to why certain products hit the market at a particular time.
Ever since Apple stopped attending the annual Macworld show organised by IDG, it stopped being beholden to the need to announce a major product each January. Apple stopped attending the event in 2009 and it folded five years later. That event was a big deal. It was where Apple announced many new products – everything from HyperCard (one of the first consumer-friendly database applications and a precursor to the likes of FileMaker) through to its LaserWriter printers and, of course, the iPhone in 2007.
These days, the only thing we can predict with certainty is that in June each year, Apple will host its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) and that it will announce updates to all its operating systems. In about September, that will be followed with announcements of new iPhones that will become available in the following weeks.
But other products are released on a much more ad hoc basis. If you’re looking for a new iMac, it’s been two years since the current model was released. The MacBook Air has had two updates in the time as has the MacBook Pro. And we are all still waiting for the Mac Pro, which is now almost a year late given Apple’s promise to replace all Intel-based Macs with M-Series versions within two years. Then again, Apple did surprise many people with the Mac Studio which is more powerful than the Mac mini or iMac (although that depends on whether you choose and M1 or M2 based system).
By the way, if you’re considering a new iMac, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says, we can expect them in the third quarter of this year.
Apple Inc.’s next iMac desktop is at an advanced stage of development called engineering validation testing, or EVT, and the company is conducting production tests of the machine.
The next iMac will continue to come in the same 24-inch screen size as the current model, which was announced in April 2021. The versions being tested also come in the same colors as the current iMac, a palette that includes blue, silver, pink and orange.
While development of the new iMacs — codenamed J433 and J434 — has reached a late stage, it’s not expected to go into mass production for at least three months. That means it won’t ship until the second half of the year at the earliest. Still, this is a great development for anyone disappointed that Apple’s all-in-one desktop hasn’t been updated in nearly two years.
There’s no reason for Apple to release new models of every product each year. The M-series processors are better performing and more power efficient than what Intel offers so the company is not really engaged in a ‘speeds and feeds’ battle – not that Apple has every really focussed on marketing its products in that way.
However, falling into a more predictable release cadence is good for consumers. Some years ago, I purchased a MacBook Pro on a Friday night. The following Monday, with no warning, Apple released an updated version with more memory and storage, and a faster processor for about $300 less. Under Apple’s ‘no questions asked’ returns policy, I went back to the Apple Store, swapped my new MacBook Pro for an even newer one and received a refund for the priced difference.
That’s a good outcome but if Apple had a reliable release schedule I could have avoided a bunch of inconvenience. It’s only Apple’s excellent customer service, on that occasion, that redeemed the situation.
A predictable update cycle gives customers confidence that they are making a sound purchasing decision and that their investment won’t be superseded a few days or weeks later.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.