Apple October Mac event: everything we expect

Apple’s iPhone 16 launch event in September was full of latest units, however Apple nonetheless has extra up its sleeve. A number of rumors level to a second present in October the place the corporate is predicted announce a bunch of latest and up to date merchandise.

What might we see at this October occasion? And when precisely will it’s? Is there something that we don’t anticipate to make an look? We’ve put this information collectively to provide the lowdown on the present so that you’re within the know and able to go. Give it a learn to see what’s coming.

When will the occasion happen?

Apple

In recent times, Apple has made a behavior of internet hosting an occasion in October. It tends to host a present on both a Monday or a Tuesday, nevertheless it has been a bit inconsistent with the week on which the occasion falls. Right here’s a take a look at the dates of Apple’s October occasions from earlier years:

  • 2023: Monday, October 30
  • 2021: Monday, October 18
  • 2020: Tuesday, October 13
  • 2018: Tuesday, October 30

There have been no October reveals in 2019 or 2022. Based mostly on the earlier schedules, we’d say that the almost certainly dates for this yr’s occasion are both October 14 or 15, or October 28 or 29. There’s additionally an opportunity it might happen on October 21 or 22. That’s a fairly broad vary of dates, nevertheless it’s all we’ve bought to go on for now.

M4 MacBook Professional

Apple's Craig Federighi introduces window tiling in macOS Sequoia at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2024.
Apple

The MacBook Pro was final up to date in October 2023 to present it M3-series chips. Hypothesis has been rife that Apple needs to modify to an annual refresh cycle for its units, and that means the MacBook Professional’s time might come this October. In addition to that, Apple has already rolled out the M4 chip within the iPad Pro, so it is sensible for the MacBook Professional to comply with go well with shortly after.

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman believes the MacBook Professional is a shoo-in for October. Gurman says there might be updates throughout the road: the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Professional will get an M4 chip, whereas the opposite 14-inch fashions and the 16-inch MacBook Professional will obtain the M4 Professional and M4 Max chips.

Don’t anticipate design adjustments, although — the MacBook Professional’s chassis was revamped in 2021, so it’s slightly early for a brand new design. Whereas an OLED MacBook Pro is regarded as within the works, it’s not anticipated till 2026 on the earliest.

Redesigned M4 Mac mini

The Mac mini on a wooden desk.
Luke Larsen / Digital Traits

The design of the Mac mini has remained largely the identical for years — its final main visible overhaul was in June 2010, over 14 years in the past. Fortuitously, we shouldn’t have too lengthy to attend for the subsequent redesign, as Mark Gurman has reported it’s set to obtain a brand new take a look at Apple’s October occasion.

This could end result within the Mac mini having a footprint about the size of an Apple TV box, which is noticeably smaller than the present Mac mini’s dimensions. In return, the Mac mini is predicted to get slightly taller.

That’s not the one change coming to Apple’s smallest desktop Mac. Leaked macOS code suggests it might get five USB ports (up from the utmost 4 on the present Mac mini), and Gurman says these ports will all be USB-C, changing the prevailing USB-A slots. Two of them might be on the entrance of the machine, making them a lot simpler to entry, whereas three might be on the rear. We will additionally anticipate M4 and M4 Professional chips on the within.

M4 iMac

A man sitting at a desk in front of an M1 iMac. Behind him is a large glass window and a set of shelves holding books, plants and ornaments.
Apple

A brand new iMac is a powerful guess for October, however as with the iMac’s M3 update in 2023, it’s solely anticipated to see minor tweaks this time round. The principle change would be the introduction of an M4 chip, however we shouldn’t anticipate something extra highly effective (such because the M4 Professional).

There’s additionally a fairly good probability that Apple’s iMac equipment — just like the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad — might get USB-C charging ports to switch the prevailing Lightning connectors. Apple has been switching out its units’ Lightning ports to adjust to European Union laws, so it appears inevitable that the iMac’s peripherals will comply with go well with.

The iPad and iPad mini

The iPad (2022) in its Magic Keyboard Folio accessory.
Joe Maring / Digital Traits

A previous report from Mark Gurman claimed that there are “new iPads within the works, together with an upgraded mini model,” and that these can be coming to the October occasion. Using the plural for “iPads” means that we are able to anticipate extra than simply the iPad mini, and it’s doubtless that the entry-level iPad is the lacking piece of the puzzle.

That’s as a result of the iPad Air and iPad Pro have been each up to date in Might 2024, making an October refresh uncertain. The iPad mini and entry-level iPad, in the meantime, have been final modified in 2021 and 2022, respectively, making them rather more possible candidates for the October occasion.

The iPad mini is predicted to get a sooner chip, higher cameras (on each the back and front), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, new colours, plus a repair for the “jelly scrolling” issue the iPad mini has suffered prior to now.

As for the entry-level iPad, rumors are slightly skinny on the bottom, however a brand new chip looks as if a certainty. Aside from that, we’ll simply have to attend and see what arrives in October.

All the pieces we don’t anticipate to see

Apple Mac Studio top down view showing PC and keyboard.
Mark Coppock / Digital Traits

There are many rumored merchandise for Apple’s October occasion, but additionally a number of others which can be unlikely to be unveiled on stage. For example, whereas the present might be Mac-focused, some Apple computer systems nearly definitely gained’t make an look.

That features the Mac Studio and the Mac Professional — though they have been each final up to date in 2023, they’re not anticipated to affix Apple’s annual improve cycle (maybe as a result of longer improvement instances wanted for his or her high-end chips). As an alternative, the brand new Mac Studio will most likely debut across the center of 2025, whereas the Mac Professional must be up to date earlier than the top of the yr.

Likewise, rumors counsel that the MacBook Air might be upgraded in spring 2025 moderately than on the October present. The M3 MacBook Air launched in March 2024, so a second improve throughout the similar calendar yr might be not within the playing cards.

Lastly, there are a number of different merchandise that, most likely, gained’t be prepared in time for October, regardless of apparently being within the works. That features a new iPhone SE, upgrades to the AirTags tracker, and a brand new Apple TV box. Likelihood is these are all coming in 2025.






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