While we eagerly await the public release of new operating systems like iOS 18 and macOS 15 (Sequoia) later this year, it looks like Apple has already started work on macOS 16 (and iOS 19 for that matter). This new rumor, coupled with rumors of a MacBook Pro refresh for later in 2024, has us worrying about the future of Apple’s best technology.
Renowned leaker and industry commentator Mark Gurman noted in his most recent ‘Power On’ newsletter (for Bloomberg) that Apple has started development on all of its major operating systems for 2025, that is macOS 16, iOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3.
Mind you, we’d expect Apple to start work on next year’s big software updates at this point, though it’s still exciting to hear that development on macOS 16 is underway. It’s still too early to speculate on what next year’s version of macOS might look like, and Gurman doesn’t offer any hints about potential features, but if Sequoia has shown us anything, we can safely say we’re in for another major AI-driven overhaul.
By the time we get to 2025, we wonder if Apple plans to integrate AI in a much bigger way with macOS 16, perhaps with features that will completely change the way we use our Mac devices! Given the pace of development in the world of artificial intelligence, this cannot be ruled out.
New MacBooks on the way?
Aside from the software, when it comes to the future of Mac hardware, we’re already hearing rumors about the M4 refresh coming to Apple’s Mac lineup, with some reports speculating that the MacBook Pro could be the first Mac to get the new chip (which is currently only in the iPad Pro).
According to previous reports from Gurman, it is possible that only the base model of the MacBook Pro 14-inch will get an M4 refresh this year (with the standard M4), while the other models (with the M4 Pro and Max) will not be released until early in the following yearFurthermore, it’s unlikely we’ll see any major hardware changes to Apple’s MacBook lineups for a few years, and it seems likely that the big step with the MacBook Pro – when it gets OLED, which would likely be a good time for a complete redesign – won’t happen until 2026.
So Apple might feel the need to make up for only making more minor improvements on the hardware front, by making a big leap on the software front – meaning a much-improved macOS 16 (with plenty of new AI powers like said, probably). Take all of this as the speculation that it is, mind you.