Mac Trade-In Changes May Indicate New Model to Launch This Month

Apple may be proceeding with plans to announce a new Mac model this month, according to related information obtained by MacRumors.

Apple Logo Spotlight
Details pertaining to upcoming changes to Mac trade-ins provided to MacRumors by a verified source suggest that Apple will begin accepting new models for trade-in this month. The models in question are current-generation devices, suggesting that successors could be announced in a matter of weeks.

Similar changes in June coincided with WWDC, when Apple began accepting trade-ins of the Mac Studio, 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, and 13-inch ‌M2‌ MacBook Pro for credit towards new Apple product purchases. Apple simultaneously launched the 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌, second-generation ‌Mac Studio‌, and Apple silicon Mac Pro. As such, it seems plausible that a similar, albeit smaller, expansion of the Macs Apple accepts for trade-in this month correlates with the launch of at least one new machine.

In July, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said October of this year could see the announcement of the first Macs with the M3 chip. He said that the 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌, 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, and 24-inch iMac are all candidates for potential release this month.

The as-yet-unannounced M3 chip is widely expected to be fabricated with TSMC's 3nm process for performance and power efficiency improvements compared to the current 5nm-based ‌M2‌ chip, which debuted in June 2022. It will also likely feature an all new GPU with hardware ray-tracing, first introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip last month.

In September, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that it seemed Apple will not launch new MacBook models with M3 series chips before the end of this year. This may mean that the most likely Mac to be announced is a refreshed 24-inch ‌iMac‌ with the M3 chip. The current model featuring the M1 chip has now been on sale for over two and a half years.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...

Top Rated Comments

erikkfi Avatar
25 months ago
Maybe the PowerBook G5 is finally coming out.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
25 months ago

New Macs are always interesting. I'm not sure an M3 MacBook Air would entice me to trade in my M1 model. The thing handles everything I throw at it without so much as a burp.
At this point the Apple silicon, even M1 which launched all the way back in 2020 is still so powerful that the average user will see no real benefits expect for battery life with regards to Macbooks.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
armandxp Avatar
25 months ago
This year is also the 25th anniversary for the iMac. It would be nice to see some love for it.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacLawyer Avatar
25 months ago
New Macs are always interesting. I'm not sure an M3 MacBook Air would entice me to trade in my M1 model. The thing handles everything I throw at it without so much as a burp.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
25 months ago
Give us a 32" iMac, damnit!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
25 months ago
iMac with M3 at this point has been discussed for months and months.. im more interested in iMac M4. No one cares about M3 anymore… 2024 with M4 please :)
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)