Apple Rumor Pundit Thunderdome

Joe Rossignol, writing for MacRumors on Friday:

Apple is unlikely to release any new Macs or iPads for the remainder of 2023, according to a series of predictions shared in recent weeks by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Last month, Kuo said Apple was unlikely to release any new MacBooks with the M3 chip this year. All existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are equipped with M2 series chips, so any new models would presumably be equipped with M3 chips, which effectively means that Kuo does not expect any new MacBooks at all for the rest of 2023.

Earlier this week, Kuo added that the 24-inch iMac would be updated next in 2024, ruling out an update to the all-in-one desktop computer this year. All other desktop Macs, including the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro, were already updated in 2023 and are highly unlikely to be updated again until 2024 or later.

But then here’s Hartley Charlton on the latest from Mark Gurman:

Apple is planning a Mac-focused product launch, likely including the announcement of a refreshed 24-inch iMac, for the end of this month, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.

In the latest edition of his “Power On” newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is “planning a Mac-centered product launch around the end of this month” that could see the the release of a refreshed 24-inch iMac model, which is long overdue a hardware update. The current model launched in April 2021 and it is the only current-generation Mac left with the M1 chip. Gurman has repeatedly said that Apple’s next iMac will skip the M2 and feature the M3 chip instead, but he declined to mention which chip the new machine will feature in this newsletter.

Gurman noted that Apple retail stores are now in short supply of the iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and many configurations now will not arrive until mid-November, in what he believes is “a clear sign that something is about to happen” regarding these three machines.

Claim chowder tastes great with a side of popcorn.

★ Monday, 23 October 2023