Apple has yet to ship a lot of stuff that's expected in 2026. From the certain date for the iPhone Duo, through the expected ones for the HomeView, and on to the probable MacBook Pro, here's when to expect stuff in stores.
Even before Apple formally announces its range of smart home devices, it has an unusual number of products expected to be released shortly. Here's what's coming plus when it is most likely to be announced and ship.
iPhone Duo
Apple added an extra date to its cycle of announcement, pre-order, and shipping, with a "Get Ready" option on October 12, 2026. But it's still the case that it is only starting on October 16 that you will be able to give Apple your money.
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Apple's iPhone Duo, in action
Then on October 23, you will get your iPhone Duo. Or you will if you were fast enough and lucky enough. More than most iPhone launches, supply of the iPhone Duo is going to be extremely constrained.
It will be in stores starting on that same date, though. Maybe, depending on how many Apple made.
HomeView
Reports claim that Apple's home hub, the HomeView, will ship in mid-November.
That's around a month after the announcement, so it's a shorter delay than the iPhone Duo had. It's conceivable that pre-orders will start on Friday, October 16, but Apple might want to keep that date clear for the iPhone Duo.
An example of what the HomeView could look like.
Pre-orders will surely start by at most a week before shipping, meaning it should be by early November.
Home security cameras and thermostats
It's possible that Apple's home releases will solely feature the new HomeView plus updates to the HomePod mini and the Apple TV 4K. But Apple is also preparing cameras and other devices in partnership with LG, which would benefit from being included in the launch.
The alleged Apple-LG smart home devices - Image credit: @pdfu/X
What's definitely coming at some point is Apple co-designed but LG-badged devices including a smart deadbolt lock. There will also be indoor and outdoor cameras, and a floodlight camera.
If those are announced at the October 13 event, pre-orders and shipping will not be far behind. It's anyone's guess, though, whether these devices will be immediately available, or slip into November.
That depends on whether they are ready in volume or not. And it might be useful to compare to the HomePod mini, which at least has an expected shipping date.
Apple's own smart camera isn't expected until 2027.
HomePod mini
Unlike the HomeView and these cameras, there is already a HomePod mini on sale at Apple, but it's no longer the one you want. Instead, expect a new HomePod mini to ship on October 30.
An approximation of Apple's new pink and green HomePod mini speakers
It's most likely that pre-orders for the new HomePod mini will open on October 23. Note that at present, the Apple Store online is quoting a delivery date of between October 20 and October 27 for most current models.
Apple TV 4K
Whether it will be called Apple TV 4K or will be renamed just "Apple TV" in order to further confuse people with the same name for the streaming service and the Apple apps, a new one is about to be announced.
The current Apple TV 4K.
Consequently there is again no official date, but reports say that the new Apple TV will ship on October 30. Pre-orders will presumably be on October 23.
In this case, the online Apple Store will offer some same-day delivery of the item. But in-store pickup will likely not be until November 4.
OLED MacBook Pro
This is one of the furthest off of the expected new devices, but it's reportedly going to be announced on October 27. It should then ship by late October or at least before the end of November 2026.
Given the logistics of shipping all the other devices to stores, and making the maximum PR impact, shipping and even pre-orders are most likely to slip into November.
The current MacBook Pro.
When it comes, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch will feature a higher-quality OLED screen. It will also be a touchscreen, and Apple will see if there are enough fans of that in a laptop to make it a hit.
It will also reportedly be lighter than the current model. But the key selling points will be the touch-screen and the faster M6 processor.
iPad mini
Also rumored to be announced on October 27 is the next iPad mini. This is to have an OLED display for the first time, although it probably won't support the fast but battery-saving ProMotion of other iPads.
The current seventh-generation iPad mini sports an A17 Pro chip for Apple Intelligence. Credit: Apple
If correct, this will be the first update to the iPad mini since October 2024.
iMac
If the MacBook Pro is far off, an updated iMac is closest to a guess. By the end of October, it will have been two years since the iMac was updated.
The current 24-inch iMac
That was with the M4 processor, so there have been rumors that it will get an M5 upgrade, and perhaps the M6 like the Mac mini. If it does, it seems most likely to be announced alongside the MacBook Pro update believed to be on October 27.
This, too, would then mean it shipping some time in November.
Mark your calendar
After pre-orders and Apple's new "Get Ready" kind of pre-pre-order, eventually all of these devices will be available. It's still the case that only the base configurations will usually be available same-day, but this is when you will be able to buy without delay:
- iPhone Duo: October 23 (but stock will be low)
- HomeView: mid-November
- Home security cameras and thermostats: November
- HomePod mini: October 30
- Apple TV: October 30
- MacBook Pro: by end of November
- iPad mini: by end of November
- iMac: by end of November
At least some of these dates will be confirmed by Apple during its forthcoming "Welcome Home" event.
