In a brief post on X, Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company will be introducing “the newest member of the family” at a product launch. So, what could be on the agenda?
Cook’s post was short, direct and bereft of any specific information.
What we do know is that there are several candidates that are set for imminent release.
- iPhone SE 4: This seems to be the most obvious candidate. At the moment, Apple has five different iPhone models for sale: the iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. That gives Apple a nice spread of prices starting at $719 for the iPhone SE 3, $1049 for the iPhone 14, $1249 for the iPhone 15, $1399 for the iPhone 16 and $1799 for the iPhone 16 Pro. The new iPhone SE will slot in nicely at the bottom end. But if its price has to go up, we could see Apple consolidate things and drop the iPhone 14 from the market.
- HomePod: It’s been a while since Apple upgraded its smart speaker. We could see an update, possibly with a chip upgrade to give it an Apple Intelligence boost. There have been rumors of a new home device with a screen that could act as a home automation hub but that product is some months away if the rumors are correct.
- AirTags 2: AirTags are one of those Apple products that works as intended with little fanfare (other than an initial wave of concern over how they might be used by stalkers). But thinner AirTags and possibly new form factors like a credit card sized option for wallets and bags could be coming.
- MacBook Air with M4: It’s been almost a year since Apple released the M3 MacBook Air so an update is definitely on the cards but this doesn’t feel like the sort of thing that qualifies as a new member of the family. It’s basically a point upgrade rather than something new.
- Something completely unexpected: A new member of the family suggests Apple has something new for us – a previously unseen product. This would be interesting but seems less likely as it’s not a full-scale launch event. We’ll probably see one of those staged presentations that’s scripted to within an inch of its life with a few senior managers from Apple using far too many adjectives and superlatives. But my money is on this launch being updates to existing products rather than something completely new.
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.