Where next for Apple? We’ve had one big event already in 2019 (the launch of new subscription services TV+, News+ and Apple Arcade, plus Apple Card, on 25 March), but if you think that’s it for Apple’s year you’re in for a surprise.

Apple’s big announcements tend to happen at roughly the same four times annually:

• March, or spring (education and creativity themes, often includes iPads)
• June (WWDC – mostly software, sometimes high-end hardware)
• September (iPhones and Apple Watches)
• October (iPads and sometimes consumer-focused Macs)

In this article we outline what you can expect from upcoming Apple events: when they will happen, and the products and services that will be announced. We’ll start with WWDC, which begins on 3 June 2019. (We also have a predictions article that looks in more depth at Apple’s plans for this year and beyond.)

WWDC 2019 (3-7 June 2019)

WWDC stands for Worldwide Developers Conference and is confirmed for 3-7 June. This tends to be a predominantly software-focused event, where Apple announces the flagship features in its annual operating system updates for the benefit of its software developer partners who will have to update their software to work with the new OS.

Tickets to WWDC are allocated via a ballot, which has now closed. You may still be able to get hold of WWDC tickets by other means, however.

So, what can we expect at WWDC 2019?

At WWDC 2017 we heard about iOS 11 and macOS 10.13 High Sierra, as well as updates to tvOS and watchOS. We also got our first look at the new iMac Pro which was previewed alongside the launch of new iMacs, as well as the updated MacBook Pro and MacBook. In 2018 it was all about iOS 12, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12 and watchOS 5, with hardware updates coming later.

It doesn’t take a genius, then, to predict that WWDC 2019 will feature updates to iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS.

However, there is something else we might see more of at the developer conference: new Macs.

Mac Pro

We are hoping Apple will reveal some more details about the Mac Pro at the WWDC event in 2019. Having a unit to show off at WWDC doesn’t mean that the new Mac Pro will be ready to ship following the event though.

Read about the new Mac Pro.

New Apple display

If Apple shows off the new Mac Pro we expect it will also show off the new display that it has revealed it is working on. But, again, it may be something Apple chooses to keep under its hat until later in 2019.

Read all about Apple’s new display – it could offer 8K!

iMac Pro update

We also expect to see a next generation iMac Pro, and the WWDC show would be a good place for Apple to unleash it.

However, over time Apple has made small tweaks to the spec of the iMac Pro – most recently on 19 March the company added a new Radeon Pro Vega 64X graphics option along with 256GB RAM support – so we may have a longer wait for a more extensive update.

Here’s our article about the next-generation iMac Pro.

MacBook

Apple didn’t update the MacBook in 2018 so we expect something soon.

With the MacBook Air finally getting a redesign in 2018, the MacBook needs some big changes to make it relevant. Perhaps we might see the MacBook get even smaller in 2019.

Here are the rumours about the new MacBook.

MacBook Pro

We’re hearing that Apple might be planning to launch a new MacBook Pro this year and that it might have a 16in 4K screen – something that creatives have been calling out for.

Here are the rumours about the 16in MacBook Pro

Other rumoured Apple products that failed to show at the spring event could also make an appearance at WWDC:

Mini Apple TV

Now that Apple has launched its TV+ subscription service, how about a smaller, cheaper Apple TV to go with it? If Apple wants to reach the masses with its service, a dongle that will let them stream Apple’s new content to their TV sets could be an essential part of the equation.

Alternatively Apple has already come to an agreement with a number of different TV manufacturers to enable AirPlay 2 compatibility on their sets, so perhaps there will be no need to use an Apple TV to stream Apple’s new content.

Even Roku is said to be working with Apple to include the new service on its devices.

We look at the rumours about the mini Apple TV stick here. Plus read all about Apple TV+.

New HomePod and HomePod mini

Apple’s also rumoured to be gearing up to launch a new HomePod and potentially HomePod mini in 2019. The latter is probably wishful thinking, but such a move would, presumably, help Apple gain marketshare in the smart speaker space.

Read about the Mini HomePod and HomePod 2.

Over-ear headphones

We already mentioned the AirPods above, but the company is also said to be planning to introduce some new over ear headphones.

We’ve collected the most plausible and interesting rumours about the StudioPods.

iPhone SE 2

After introducing the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max Apple discontinued the iPhone SE to the dismay of many. The SE was a popular iPhone, being both the smallest and the cheapest handset on offer. The iPhone XR is no replacement for the SE 2, still rather pricey and it’s much larger than the 4in SE.

However, there are some rumours hinting that Apple may still launch a new 4in handset for those people who prefer a smaller phone. In fact, code in Xcode has indicated that a new handset could ship featuring the older iPhone 7 processor, and this could well be an update to the SE.

Read the latest news about the iPhone SE 2

September 2019

The September Apple event is usually the highlight of Apple’s year. The company tends to launch new iPhones at the event – although in the past iPhones have launched in the Spring and at WWDC.

The Apple Watch tends to get an update at this event as well.

We can also expect the company to release the next version of macOS and iOS software following the keynote.

We’re sure to be inundated with rumours about the new iPhones as 2019 gets underway, so stay tuned for more information about what to expect.

October 2019

The October event doesn’t happen every year, but when it does it tends to focus on iPads and consumer Macs.

In 2018 we saw Apple update the iPad Pro and also reveal a new MacBook Air and Mac mini – two consumer-oriented Macs that had been long neglected.

By the summer of 2019 we should have more of an idea about what to expect from this event.

Spring 2020

In the past, Apple has made significant announcements at spring events. In 2015 Apple held an event called ‘Spring Forward’ on 9 March, where it announced pricing and the launch date for the original Apple Watch and unveiled the 12in MacBook. Then on 21 March 2016, at the ‘Let us loop you in’ event, we got the iPhone SE, the iPad Pro 9.7 and iOS 9.3.

Spring 2017 was a bit of a disappointment for Apple followers: instead of a full-blown event the company quietly closed down its online store then sent out a press release announcing the launch of the iPad 2017 and the red iPhone 7.

Then in 2018 Apple held an education-focused event on 27 March at a school in Chicago. The company made a series of announcements including a new iPad (with support for Apple Pencil), updates to Pages, Numbers and Keynote, and GarageBand. As well as talking at length about what it can do for teachers and students.

What was announced in 2018?

Let’s look again at Apple’s typical schedule of events:

• March, or spring (education and creativity themes, often includes iPads)
• June (WWDC – mostly software, sometimes high-end hardware)
• September (iPhones and Apple Watches)
• October (iPads and sometimes consumer-focused Macs)

How did this play out in 2018? Well, we saw a major education-themed iPad launch in late March, followed in June by the week-long WWDC 2018 developer conference. This saw Apple reveal details of the upcoming major updates to all four of its software platforms, but hardware news was pushed back to July’s new MacBook Pro models (not an event – just an announcement).

Apple’s biggest event of 2018 was the iPhone refresh on 12 September. We saw the introduction of the iPhone XS and XS Max alongside the colourful iPhone XR and new Apple Watch Series 4.

Apple then rounded off the year with an event on 30 October which showed off a new MacBook Air, Mac Mini, iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil 2.

However, there were a lot of untouched products in 2018, including the MacBook, iMac and iMac Pro, iPad mini and iPhone SE. We are also expecting the new Mac Pro to arrive in 2019 with a new Apple display. And we’re hearing a lot of talk about Apple’s plans to introduce a new TV streaming service.