What We Didn't Get at WWDC 2024

Not since the iPhone 4 has Apple mentioned anything about its next-gen iPhones at WWDC, which takes place about three months ahead of the company's fall iPhone event. We were hoping that it might give us a little iPhone 16 teaser and give us some hints as to what hardware changes are coming to the next iPhone as it showed off new iOS 18 features. But that didn't happen.

Apple's AirPods Max headphones were released in late 2020 and are certainly due for an upgrade. We're not expecting major changes, but the second-gen AirPods Max will likely have USB-C charging as well as the H2 chip found in Apple's AirPods Pro 2 earbuds. We could see new colors and improved sound quality, along with slightly better noise-canceling and voice-calling performance. And maybe Apple can come up with a better case.  

While the chances of Apple unveiling the iPhone 16 at WWDC 2024 were virtually nil, there was a sliver of hope that it would announce the iPhone SE 4 at the conference. It slipped the current iPhone SE 3 into the marketplace with little hype in March 2022 (it was hailed as a good value), and is due for an upgrade.

While it remains unclear whether we'll ever get a fourth-gen iPhone SE -- some reports suggested it had been canceled -- the SE does have its share of fans, especially since Apple no longer makes the iPhone Mini. The SE 3 is Apple's smallest phone, built using the same chassis as the iPhone 8. Rumor has it Apple will be moving to a new design for the SE 4 that's based on the iPhone 14 and also features USB-C charging. However, the SE 4, like its predecessors, might have a single camera lens to help keep costs down.

Back in March, Apple tipster and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman wrote that Apple suppliers were getting ready to produce millions of new fourth-gen AirPods this May, ahead of an anticipated launch this fall alongside the next iPhone, which will presumably be called the iPhone 16.

One of the new AirPods models is supposed to be the successor to the AirPods 3, which feature an open design, while the other may be a more affordable noise-canceling model that's a step down from the AirPods Pro 2. 

Whenever Apple announces that it's having an event, there's some hope that a new version of the AirPods will be part of the event. They didn't turn up at WWDC 2024, though we did get a preview of upcoming performance enhancements and new gesture controls. Look for those rumored new AirPods this fall. 

Apple surprised some folks last month when it rolled out its new iPad Pros with its latest chipset, the M4, before bringing the M4 to its Mac line. The company does have a history of announcing new Macs at WWDC. In 2023, alongside the Vision Pro headset, it introduced the 15‑inch MacBook Air with M2, Mac Studio with M2 Max and M2 Ultra and Mac Pro with M2 Ultra. At WWDC 2022, we got a new MacBook Air and 13‑inch MacBook Pro.

It's unclear when the M4 will come to Macs -- and the MacBook Pro in particular -- but it did't happen at WWDC 2024.

When it comes to video streamers, the Apple TV has always been in premium territory and often seems overpriced compared to streamers from Roku, which offers its capable Express 4K Plus device for just $40 (it's actually on sale for $30 now). Meanwhile, the Apple TV starts at $129, and we've long hoped that Apple would put out a more affordable video streaming box that costs a lot less. It's probably too much to ask for Apple to put out a $50 Apple TV, but we'd settle for $79. 

Apple's HomePod line has been in a little bit of limbo for the last few years. First, it appeared Apple had canceled the original HomePod, but then it was reborn last year in a new second-gen version that featured some modest upgrades, including slightly better sound. 

Apple Insider reported that Apple may be developing a HomePod with a built-in 7-inch touchscreen that's akin to Google's Nest Hub products. And the Apple enthusiast site also uncovered an Apple patent filing for an audio device that may or may not be a horizontal HomePod that's shaped like a soundbar and could be used as a TV speaker (it also looks a bit like a Beats Pill speaker). I like the Apple soundbar concept, but who knows if it will ever become a reality.

The original AirTag came out in 2021, and there's been some chatter about Apple having an upgraded AirTag 2 in the works with better location tracking and possibly some small design changes. However, the AirTag 2 isn't expected till 2025.