The M5 is nice but I’m more interested in what’s coming next

I suppose we can hardly complain. Apple’s mid-October launches were not teased with over-designed invitations. They didn’t have groan-worthy pun taglines. They did not involve Apple executives doing ill-advised “skits” and bouncing around on a virtual stage. In other words, they were not hyped up as any kind of event beyond a social media tease the day before, and so the fair-minded observer would not expect them to be thrilling.

And thrilling they certainly were not. What we got instead, via press release rather than press event, was a trio of what may be the most workmanlike product refreshes in history. The new MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro each received a brand-new M5 processor and very little else: a comfy new headband here, a C1X modem there, but nothing fundamental or groundbreaking other than the chips.

Sometimes a straightforward refresh is exactly what a product line needs, and the powerful M5 is certainly worth having even if you don’t share Apple’s obsession with AI. The last thing we’d want is for Apple to hold off on making necessary component bumps because the company is ashamed to unveil a machine that hasn’t been completely redesigned. It does feel like Apple fans have been getting more than their fair share of straightforward refreshes in recent years… but the iPhone Air earns quite a few radicalism points, so let’s cut the company some slack.

Still, my thoughts have quickly moved on from these dull but necessary updates to the other launches that lie in Apple’s nearish future. And even after the launches in September (iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods Pro) and October there’s plenty still to come for this fall and winter. This is what happens when you spend the rest of the year launching almost nothing.

The 2nd-gen AirTag should be with us before long, based on hints in iOS 26 code, and it appears this will be more reliable at maintaining a Bluetooth connection than its predecessor. The new AirTag may have Precision Finding at a longer range and is expected to gain new battery features of some sort, although it isn’t clear what these will entail. Top of my wish list would be a rechargeable battery, since replacing the watch battery in the 1st-gen AirTag is a pain and potentially dangerous, but it’s more likely that we’ll keep the battery format while increasing its longevity: perhaps lasting as long as two years. Chuck in speakers that are harder for stalkers to tamper with and this sounds like a huge upgrade for one of Apple’s oldest accessories.

And what of the even-older HomePod mini? I’m a big fan of the full-size HomePod, but the mini is even better and a far easier product to recommend. (Yes, the sound is weaker, but you can get a stereo pair for less than a single big HomePod.) The problem is that it came out five years ago and hasn’t had an update since then, other than new colors.

That long wait is expected to end soon, but what will the HomePod mini 2 have to offer? Given that the first model’s single biggest weakness is Siri’s infuriating inaccuracy, let’s hope it includes a chip capable of supporting Apple Intelligence, thus putting the HomePod mini in a position to benefit when Apple finally sorts out its voice recognition tech. Improved wireless should be on the cards too, and potentially support for Hi-Res Lossless. I’d also vote for more colors, since HomePods are more suited to a decorative role than most other Apple devices. The orange is excellent, but I’d love to see one in sage.

Finally, there’s a decent chance we’ll see the next Apple TV model this fall. This is expected to feature an A17 Pro chip, a major upgrade from the A15 in the current model which will unlock the ability to play a far wider range of AAA games and add support for Apple Intelligence. Sure, it’s just a chip bump like the M5 devices, but it skips a generation for a more meaningful upgrade.

It’s interesting to compare these three launches, all to “lesser” product lines that Apple has rather neglected, with the flagship launches earlier this month. The MacBook and the iPad are at the very forefront of Apple’s identity as a company, and the Vision Pro is its, well, vision of the future. But the AirTag, HomePod mini, and Apple TV all look set for far more profound and interesting change. Maybe it’s precisely because they get updated less often, although the iPhone 17 and obviously the iPhone Air demonstrated last month that an annually refreshed product can still get worthwhile new features.

What remains to be seen is how Apple will present these new products: they’re (probably) going to be (relatively) major upgrades, but to products which are less capable of grabbing headlines.

It really does feel like the company could have combined the big names of the M5 gang with the big changes of these three other products and turned the set into a proper event: lead with the M5 (focusing on the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, since I’m not sure anyone cares about the Vision Pro), then talk about the home products on the undercard. I’d make time to watch an event like that. But maybe everyone was busy. Or maybe they couldn’t think of any good puns.

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.

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Podcast of the week

Apple released new Apple Watches, and in the latest episode of the Macworld podcast, we take a close look at each one. Which one should you buy? The answer may surprise you!

You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.

Reviews corner

The rumor mill

Report: Apple’s upcoming smart home tablet won’t be as expensive as feared.

Code leak hints at long-overdue upgrade for one of Apple’s highest-priced products.

Apple’s touchscreen MacBook Pro is reportedly coming next year, and won’t have a notch.

Forget the M5, Apple’s other rumored fall upgrades will be far more exciting.

Video of the week