However, for the first time since 2010, Apple will not announce any hardware products in an entirely new category in 2024. Instead, the company will focus on improving and upgrading its existing product lines.
Apple has announced a number of notable hardware updates over the past year, including a redesigned iPad Pro and an improved Mac mini, but they’ve all been within existing product categories.
There’s only one new toolkit – Apple Intelligence, which is more software-focused, making 2024 the first year in 14 years that Apple hasn’t introduced a completely new line of hardware.
The journey of new product launches from 2010 to 2023 can be summarized as follows:
2023: Apple Vision Pro
2022: Mac Studio, Studio Display and Apple Watch Ultra
2021: AirTag
2020: Apple Silicon, MagSafe ecosystem for iPhone, HomePod mini, AirPods Max
2019: AirPods Pro, Pro Display XDR, and Apple Card
2018: iPhone XS Max
2017: iMac Pro, HomePod, iPhone X
2016: iPhone SE, AirPods
2015: iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Apple TV HD
2014: Apple Watch
2013: iPhone 5C, iPad Air
2012: iPad mini
2011: Thunderbolt Display
2010: iPad
Apple’s focus in 2024 has shifted from creating new product categories to perfecting existing ones, with OLED display technology on the iPad Pro, the streamlined design of the Apple Watch Series 10, and the launch of the Apple Silicon M4 chip.
The global technology market is also seeing a slowdown in consumer hardware growth, as more users extend the life cycles of their devices.
This has led Apple to prioritize upgrading existing products, such as the Apple Pencil Pro or fourth-generation AirPods, rather than investing in new categories that require high levels of user adoption.
Apple is expected to launch a 7-inch smart home hub in 2025 that looks similar to the HomePod. This could be a completely new product line, marking Apple's refocus on the smart home. However, beyond this product, there are no other predictions about new hardware categories from Apple in the near future.
