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The day Apple fans have been waiting for is nearly here.
After many months of rumours, the tech giant is finally due to unveil a slew of new products on Wednesday.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has already confirmed an Apple launch is happening tomorrow – expected to be a showcase for a brand new iPhone.
iPhone SE 4 is expected to be an ‘affordable’ iPhone model – an alternative to the iPhone 16 which starts at £799/$799.
But the trillion-dollar firm is also anticipated to pull back the curtain on a few other devices which could be released in the next couple of months.
On X (Twitter), Apple CEO Tim Cook has already teased ‘the newest member of the family’.
His post includes a short video with an animated silver Apple logo inside a circle – which may hint at another new gadget.
Here’s everything that we expect to see tomorrow.
On X (Twitter), Apple CEO Tim Cook has teased ‘the newest member of the family’ – already understood to be the iPhone SE 4
iPHONE SE 4
Apple fans can certainly expect to see the arrival of the iPhone SE 4, the latest phone in the tech giant’s ‘budget’ line of handsets.
The last model, iPhone SE 3, started at $429/£429, but this follow-up will likely cost more, roughly around £500/$500, respected Apple tipster, Mark Gurman, claims.
In terms of design features, iPhone SE 4 will have a 6.1-inch OLED display, two cameras (one rear and one front-facing) and a USB-C charging port.
Unlike the iPhone SE 3, this new arrival will also have Face ID, the facial recognition system that scans your face to unlock your phone or make purchases.
It will be packed with the A18 chip, meaning it will be able to run Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI software.
And although the iPhone SE 3 has a home button – a physical button below the screen – this will be absent on the iPhone SE 4, according to Gurman.
‘The removal of the home button from the iPhone SE means that Apple will have fully phased out the iconic interface, which debuted on the first iPhone in 2007,’ he said.
iPhone SE 4 will be the fourth device in the iPhone SE range and the first to be released for three years since the iPhone SE 3 (pictured)
iPhone SE 4 will have a ‘notch’ – the rectangular black area extending from the top of the screen. Pictured, the iPhone 12 marking out the notch and the bezel
What’s more, the front of the new phone will have a ‘notch’ – the rectangular black area extending from the top of the screen – to house the front-facing camera.
The notch was last seen on Apple’s iPhone 14 before being replaced by Dynamic Island, the pill-shaped zone on the upper side of the screen.
After unveiling the phone on Wednesday, Apple will release it around the world later in February, according to Gurman – so fans don’t have long to wait at all.
‘Apple’s new iPhone SE will kick off a pivotal year for its smartphone lineup,’ he said in his Power On newsletter.
‘[iPhone SE 4] will modernize its lower-cost model in a bid to spur growth and entice consumers to switch from other brands.’
AIRTAG
Tim Cook’s teaser on X has led to speculation that Apple is about to unleash the next AirTag, the small, circular tracking device first released in 2021.
The animation in Cook’s tweet looks very similar to the coin-shaped £35 AirTag, which tracks missing items through the ‘Find My’ app.
It’s already known that Apple is working on a follow-up to the original AirTag, which will offer better range and improved privacy, Gurman claims.
Controversially, AirTag has been involved in several creepy instances of stalking, where victims have unknowingly had the tags slipped into their belongings.
AirTag 2 isn’t expected to launch until ‘mid 2025’, according to Gurman, but Apple may provide a glimpse of it on Wednesday.
‘HOMEPAD’
Apple is expected to release its hotly-tipped AI gizmo as soon as March, meaning it could be made public on Wednesday too.
Unofficially dubbed ‘HomePad’ in reference to Apple’s HomePod smart speakers, the AI wall tablet will activate Siri and video calls with a simple vocal command.
Coming with a 7-inch square display, the device will be wall-mountable and attachable to speakers, acting as a ‘command centre for the home’.
Gurman claims it will dynamically adjust based on how close or far away you are – for example by displaying controls as you approach it.
Smart home hardware will ‘be a top priority’ for the tech giant in the next few years, taking on the likes of Google and Amazon.
TWO iPADS
Apple is also preparing two iPads – iPad 11 and the seventh generation iPad Air – scheduled to be released around the same time as the new iPhone SE 4.
iPad 11, the eleventh model in the original iPad line, will run Apple Intelligence thanks to its A17 Pro chip and will likely start at $449/£449.
It will mark more than nearly three years since the £499/$449 iPad 10, which launched in 2022 with a 10.9-inch display and a A14 Bionic chip.
Meanwhile, a new iPad Air is in the works – a successor to the $599/£569 sixth-generation iPad Air that was only launched last year.
iPad Air 7th-gen will maintain most of the same specifications as its predecessor, although it will get a performance boost from the M2 chip to the M3 chip, enabling faster performance and better battery life.
Gurman has also predicted that a new Magic Keyboard – Apple’s family of wireless computer keyboards – will be released specifically for this model.
Apple launched the MacBook Air line of laptops in 2020. Pictured, the original MacBook Air with the M1 chip
MACBOOK AIR WITH M4 CHIP
Lastly, Apple will release a sleek new MacBook Air fitted with the M4 chip that powers AI jobs, meaning it too will be able to run Apple Intelligence.
MacBook Air is especially thin and light, aimed for people with busy travel schedules and ideal for day-to-day tasks such as emailing and web browsing.
The new MacBook Air will come in both 13-inch and 15-inch variants, but there will be no major design changes compared with the prior MacBook Air model, according to Gurman.
Apple could pull back the curtain on the MacBook tomorrow but the actual release could be later in the spring.
MailOnline contacted Apple for comment but the tech giant is always tight-lipped leading up to the release of any new product.
Apple is not doing a physical, in-person event on Wednesday; instead any new products are expected to be detailed online.
Apple usually schedules its product announcements for 10am PT (6pm GMT), so it’s worth keeping an eye on its official website and social media channels
MailOnline will be covering all the announcements as they arrive.
THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE
1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak.
The first product was the Apple I.
1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market.
Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation’s new Macintosh February 6, 1984 in California.
1981: Jobs became chairman.
1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm.
1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac.
1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000.
The then Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone
2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod.
The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs.
2007: Apple unveils the iPhone.
2010: The first iPad was unveiled.
2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer.
2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus.
2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services.
2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.
2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner’s face.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers.
2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China.
2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus.
2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced.
2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system.
2023: Apple brought back its ‘Home Pod’ after the first generation was discontinued. The ‘Home Pod’ can be seen as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands.
2024: Apple makes its first steps into artificial intelligence with the release of Apple Intelligence. The features are not all released at once with many delayed until the following year.
