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Several times a year, Apple holds a special event to announce a batch of new products. In this article we look ahead to the likely dates and product focus of upcoming Apple events in 2021.
The last big event was on 10 November 2020, when Apple announced the new generation of M1 Macs and the next Apple event will be on Tuesday 20 April. Read What to expect at Apple's spring event to find out more.
We also have the details of when Apple's WWDC 2021 will start,.
When is Apple's next event?
The next Apple event will take place on Tuesday 20 April 2021. This date was leaked by Apple's Siri prior to Apple issuing an invite on 12 April 2021.
The Apple start time is 10am California time/6pm UK time.
Here's what that translates to in the countries where most of our readers live:
- UK: 20 April at 6pm
- Europe: 20 April at 7pm (CEST)
- US: 20 April at 10am (PDT), 11am (MDT), noon (CDT), 1pm (EDT)
- Canada: 20 April at 10am (PDT), 11am (MDT), noon (CDT), 1pm (EDT), 2pm (ADT)
- India: 20 April at 11.30pm (IST)
- Australia: 21 April at 2am (ACWST), 4.30am (ACST), 5am (AEST)
The event will probably last between one and two hours.
What will Apple launch at the spring event?
Some of the company's most significant announcements have been made at spring events. For example at the Spring Forward event on 9 March 2015, Apple 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.
In 2019 there was an Apple Special Event where Apple showed off some of the content planned for its Apple TV+ subscription package, which launched later that year.
There was no event in 2020, but the launch of the iPhone SE may well have been unveiled at an event if it wasn't for the threat of COVID.
Here's what we expect to see Apple launch at the Spring Loaded event on 20 April 2021.
iPad Pro
Analyst Ming Chi Kuo is predicting a spring launch for a new iPad Pro.
The new iPad Pro is said to feature a new mini-LED backlit display which will make the screen better than ever.
The iPad mini may also get an update - with rumours suggesting it will get a larger screen. By trimming down the bezels Apple will be able to bump from a 7.9in to a 8.4in screen diagonal, a small but worthwhile improvement. However the iPad mini may be delayed until the autumn.
Catch up on the latest rumours in our iPad Pro 2021 news hub.
Apple TV
There are reports that the company is not only ready to launch updated Apple TV hardware, but it actually has plans to ramp up the tech inside the device to make it a gaming machine to compete with the Switch and Xbox.
We look at the rumours about the new Apple TV in a separate article.
AirTag
This is another new Apple product that has been rumoured for some time.
Apple has just updated the Find My app to include support for third-party tracking devices, and yet Apple has long been rumoured to have plans to launch launch an object tracker.
We examine these rumours in our Apple AirTags news hub.
We could also see Apple launch the long rumoured AirPods Pro Lite - said to sit between the wireless charging standard AirPods and the AirPods Pro, or AirPods 3 - a successor to the standard AirPods.
Read about the new AirPods.
iMac - with a new design!
The iMac has looked the same for around a decade, change is well overdue and 2021 might be the year we finally see it! Rumours suggest the 21.5in model will get a larger 23in screen, and Face ID is even rumoured.
It will also get a new Apple M1X processor- likely to come to the smaller iMac before it arrives on the 27in model.
Read about what we hope to see in the new iMac, and why it's time for a redesign!
14in MacBook Pro
Apple updated two of the 13in MacBook Pro models in November 2020, but it left two alone. Apparently Apple has plans for the 2.0GHz 13in MacBook Pro that could involve a new design and a bigger screen.
Of course, like the iMac, this new MacBook Pro will also be getting a new Apple-made processor.
Read more in our 14in MacBook Pro roundup.
Apple's event schedule for 2021
We've covered what we expect Apple to launch at an event in the spring of 2021, but what about the rest of the year?
In a typical year there are normally up to four Apple events at which the company unveils its latest products in front of a large crowd.
In a less typical year like 2020 (and probably 2021) Apple doesn't invite people to events, but it makes no less of an impact by inviting everyone to join it in an online broadcast. We actually preferred Apple's video presentations in 2020 to the usual events in front of an audience, hopefully we will see more of the same in 2021 - and maybe even once we see the back of COVID-19.
Whether these events are physical or virtual Apple tends to hold three or four in a year:
- March/April (education and creativity themes, often includes iPads)
- June (WWDC - mostly software, sometimes high-end/pro hardware)
- September (iPhones and Apple Watches)
- October (iPads and sometimes consumer-focused Macs)
Some years there will be no spring event and other years Apple will skip the October event, like it did in 2019. Obviously 2020 was a little different to usual with events held a little later than usual due to COVID-related delays in production, and 2021 may also be.
So we can make some predictions about the other events in 2021...
WWDC 2021
What about 2021's WWDC? Apple has already revealed the date: WWDC 2021 will start on Monday 7 June with a keynote. The developer conference will last all week.
As for what we can expect to see, here's what Apple has announced at WWDC in the past:
It doesn't take a genius, then, to predict that WWDC 2021 will feature updates to Apple's operating systems (iOS 15, macOS 12, tvOS, watchOS, and so on) but it may also include the appearance of other hardware - and we wouldn't be at all surprised to see a number of new Macs with next generation Apple Silicon chips - either the M1X or the M2.
Apple's invitation to the event features an memoji image wearing glasses, which makes us wonder if the company will be revealing something relating to its plans to sell mixed reality glasses - which analyst Ming Chi Kuo says could arrive in 2021. Read: Apple VR headset 'to launch next year'.
We have a dedicated article discussing what Apple could announce at WWDC, but here are some of our predictions:
New Macs
We mentioned them above, but it may well be that we have to wait until WWDC before we see the new iMac and 14in MacBook Pro. Those aren't the only new Macs we might see in 2021. We're also anticipating an update to the 16in MacBook Pro.
AR glasses
Apple's made clear its interest in augmented reality, and we may hear more about Apple's plans to make Apple AR glasses at WWDC 2021!
The rumours suggested we could see Apple's first AR/VR product in 2022. Even if Apple's glasses aren't ready to launch they may well show them off at WWDC just to inspire developers to get working on apps for them.
Even with all these potential launches Apple won't be done for the year. Here's what to expect at Apple's autumn events.
September 2021 event
Who knows what autumn 2021 could bring, but Apple has launched a new iPhone in the September of practically every year in the past decade, so a new iPhone seems almost certain for September.
2020 was an exception to that rule - with the iPhone launch in October, but the company still held a September event. Apple clearly likes to hold September events.
On that basis, if you want to pencil in a potential date for an iPhone launch - or at least a September event - based on the dates Apple has held previous September events took place on we predict Tuesday 14 or Wednesday 15 September 2021.
- 2020: Tuesday 15 September (Not an iPhone event)
- 2019: Tuesday 10 September
- 2018: Wednesday 12 September
- 2017: Tuesday 12 September
- 2016: Wednesday 7 September
- 2015: Wednesday 9 September
- 2014: Tuesday 9 September
- 2013: Tuesday 10 September
- 2012: Wednesday 12 September
October 2021 event
In 2020 October saw Apple unveil the iPhone 12. It was an unusual year though and normally the iPhone would have made its premiere in September. October is usually the month when Apple announces new Macs and new iPads and it may well do so in 2021.
Wondering what date to pencil in? The October events of the past have (or haven't) taken place on the following dates, so we anticipate an event on Tuesday 12 or Wednesday 13 October.
- 2020: Tuesday 13 October
- 2019: no October event
- 2018: Tuesday 30 October
- 2017: no October event
- 2016: Thursday 27 October
- 2015: no October event
- 2014: Thursday 16 October
- 2013: Tuesday 22 October
- 2012: Tuesday 23 October
- 2011: Tuesday 4 October
