Forget the iPhone 16: these are the 3 big hi-fi and home cinema products we want to see at the 2024 Apple launch

After months of rumours, Apple has finally confirmed the date of its next iPhone-focussed event – which unsurprisingly falls during the exact same window in September it always does it.

That means come 6PM here in the UK, 10AM PT / 1PM PT for those in the United States, or 3AM ACT for those tuning in from Australia we’ll all be able to tune in and be treated to all the latest announcements from the tech giant.

And to be clear there is plenty to be excited about. Though Apple doesn’t make dedicated portable music players anymore, RIP iPod, if you jump over to our best phone guide, you’ll see its iPhones remain great media devices in their own right. So we’re excited to see what sonic and visual improvements it has in store for us with its latest iPhone 16 range, which is expected to be the belle of the ball at this year’s event.

But on top of that we’re expecting a few extra treats with rumblings suggesting we may see some new Apple earbuds there too. Specifically, the AirPods 4 and new AirPods Lite (or perhaps AirPods SE) to replace the AirPods 2.

However, while all of this is exciting, there are a number of fabled Apple devices the team of audio and home cinema experts have long craved, that aren’t expected to make an appearance at the event. These are the three biggest.

The AirPods Max 2

The AirPods Max 2 are a key item people have been speculating about since Apple launched its first pair of wireless over-ears in 2020. And while we’ve seen a steady stream of conflicting rumours appear over the years, one of the only consistent ones doing the rounds at the moment is that they won’t launch alongside the iPhone 16 in September.

Apple’s not even confirmed the existence of the AirPods Max 2 yet, so there’s no official news when they will appear, if at all. But from a performance perspective the decision makes sense. The AirPods Max remain a brilliant set of wireless over-ear headphones, especially for those embedded in Apple’s ecosystem.

Our team still uses them as a benchmark during our comparative testing procedures. Most recently they helped us while testing the Sonos Ace and Dyson OnTrac . In each instance, though they are undeniably expensive, the Max still offers excellent audio and a holistically competitive feature set with rival products.

This is why we still recommend them in our best wireless headphones buying guide, despite their age. So it would make sense that there may be little incentive at Apple HQ to invest in making a newer version at the moment.

An actual Apple TV

This is one of the more out there items on the What Hi-Fi? home cinema team’s wishlist.

There haven’t been any concrete, or even semi-legitimate rumours suggesting an actual TV is on Apple’s device roadmap. But we’ve chronicled many times before why we think it should be. Most recently our editor (me) wrote a feature reiterating why .

The short version is that there are three reasons. First, Apple’s really good at display tech. Take its latest 13-inch iPad Pro (M4) as an example. Apple describes the device as a “home cinema in your hand” and based on our experience reviewing it we generally agree with that description.

The device features a tandem OLED display that looks incredible, especially with HDR content where its higher than average peak brightness leads to a wonderful picture full of contrast.

Thanks to its strong record in making Mac Pro desktops and MacBook Pro laptops, which both are marketed at creative professionals, it also has a great handle on how to deliver accurate colours.

Second, it also has an ideal app ecosystem and platform to build it round thanks to its current Apple TV 4K box and Apple TV+ streaming service.

Third and finally, it already has an ecosystem of great audio products to complete its home cinema offering. The AirPods Max offer Spatial Audio when connected to an Apple TV, which based on our testing delivers a wonderfully immersive surround-sound experience.

If you have two HomePod 2 wireless speakers you can also set them up in a stereo arrangement – an arrangement that yielded surprisingly great results when we tested it just after the speaker launched.

So a move to complete the portfolio and make an actual TV just makes sense.

An Apple soundbar

Talking of audio, the other item we often wish for is an Apple soundbar .  There were some semi-legitimate rumours about Apple potentially working on a soundbar all the way back in 2020, but they’ve gone quiet since then.

Despite the radio silence we still think the move makes perfect sense. The HomePod 2 speakers sound great, but for movie watching, even with two paired, we all agree they could be made even better with a solid soundbar acting as the central channel. Most recently, our home cinema editor, Tom Parsons, detailed why we think so, just after Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote .

The only thing our team remains divided on what the soundbar should be called. The current front runners are HomeBar, AirBar and iBar (there’s a reason we’re not in marketing).

MORE:

These are the best Apple AirPods we’ve tested

We rate the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Our picks of the best OLED TVs