For over a decade, Apple has constantly introduced all-new {hardware} product strains, from the iPad in 2010 to the Imaginative and prescient Professional in 2023. However for the primary time in 14 years, Apple didn’t announce any main new {hardware} merchandise in 2024, focusing solely on updates and refinements to its current product strains.
Whereas Apple unveiled numerous vital {hardware} refreshes in 2024, such because the redesigned iPad Professional and Mac mini, these had been all evolutions of current classes, not totally new product strains. The one totally new announcement of observe, Apple Intelligence, was software-based and doesn’t qualify as new {hardware}. This makes 2024 the primary yr since 2009 wherein Apple didn’t launch a totally new {hardware} product. Here is a glance again on the main new merchandise introduced every year from 2010 to 2023:
- 2023: Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional
- 2022: Mac Studio, Studio Show, and Apple Watch Extremely
- 2021: AirTag
- 2020: Apple Silicon, MagSafe for iPhone ecosystem, HomePod mini, and AirPods Max
- 2019: AirPods Professional, Professional Show XDR, and Apple Card
- 2018: ‌iPhone‌ XS Max
- 2017: iMac Professional, HomePod, and ‌iPhone‌ X
- 2016: iPhone SE and AirPods
- 2015: ‌iPad Professional‌, Apple Pencil, and Apple TV HD
- 2014: Apple Watch
- 2013: ‌iPhone‌ 5C and iPad Air
- 2012: iPad mini
- 2011: Thunderbolt Show
- 2010: ‌iPad‌
2024 stands out for its lack of a brand new class, focusing as a substitute on enhancing current units and introducing new software program options.
It is price noting that a lot of Apple’s product strains have reached a excessive stage of maturity. As an alternative of making totally new classes, Apple is seemingly doubling down on perfecting its current lineup, as demonstrated by the introduction of OLED show know-how to the ‌iPad Professional‌, the extra refined design of the Apple Watch Sequence 10, or the M4 household of Apple silicon chips.
Whereas ‌Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional‌ was introduced in 2023, it didn’t launch till February 2024, and constitutes a serious new “spatial computing” product line for the corporate. It demanded an entire new OS, accent ecosystem, retail retailer area, and extra. In consequence, is probably going that Imaginative and prescient Professional dominated Apple’s focus in 2023 and 2024.
Equally, Apple’s pivot towards AI within the type of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ was introduced in June 2024. ‌Apple Intelligence‌ seeks to reshape how customers work together with their units, introducing unprecedented ranges of personalised automation and era on Apple units. Since ‌Apple Intelligence‌ exists solely as software program for current product strains, Apple targeted on increasing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ help in 2024, exemplified by the introduction of the iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, and seventh-generation ‌iPad mini‌, in addition to bumping your complete Mac lineup as much as 16GB of reminiscence as normal.
Apple’s long-rumored, however ill-fated, electrical automobile undertaking, can also have diverted substantial assets earlier than its reported cancellation. This effort, mixed with the monumental improvement calls for of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and the Imaginative and prescient Professional, seemingly consumed a good portion of Apple’s latest R&D capability.
Furthermore, Apple’s 2024 product lineup continues to be seemingly feeling the lingering results of the worldwide slowdown throughout COVID-19, as most Apple merchandise function on a improvement cycle of two to 4 years. These overlapping elements might clarify why 2024 lacked the introduction of a wholly new {hardware} product line.
Compounding this, the worldwide tech market has seen slowing development in client {hardware}, with many consumers opting to increase the lifecycle of their units. It might subsequently make sense that Apple has prioritized incremental upgrades such because the ‌Apple Pencil‌ Professional and fourth-generation AirPods, over launching new product classes that require vital client adoption and funding.
2025 is rumored to see the introduction of a sensible residence “Command Heart” resembling a ‌HomePod‌ with a 7-inch show, which might represent an all-new product line amid Apple’s anticipated refocus on the good residence. Past this, no completely new {hardware} product strains are anticipated this yr.
