What to Expect From Apple’s October Event (Macs!)

Yes, buddies, there’s one other Apple occasion forward of us. It kicks off Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET, to be actual. And whereas we noticed new iPhones, the Apple Watch Series 7, and two iPads final month, there are nonetheless just a few issues Apple has in retailer for its subsequent occasion, which provides the obscure tagline: “Unleashed.”

As has turn into commonplace, this occasion can be live-streamed from Apple Park, and it’s extensively thought that we’ll be listening to about some MacE book Pros. Usually, you possibly can look to the occasion tagline as some form of “clue” as to what merchandise are to return, although that isn’t all the time the case. This time round, Apple’s hyper-space themed invitation and that “Unleashed” line maybe hints at one thing moderately speedy. Here’s what we predict we find out about what Apple has in retailer.

Will There Be New MacBooks?

After months of rumors and hypothesis, it appears secure to say that we’ll see redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacE book Pros. This is the primary main refresh for the MacE book Pro shortly, and could be particularly notable for the 16-inch MacE book Pro. Apple launched M1 MacBooks final yr—a 13-inch Air and 13-inch Pro—the 16-inch Pro was final refreshed two years in the past and, as of proper now, nonetheless sports activities an Intel chip.

Rumors have steered we’ll see a redesigned chassis on the Pro fashions, the return of the MagSafe connector, and extra port choices. That contains the return of the HDMI port and the SD card slot—each of which had been nixed in 2016 when Apple determined to go USB-C solely. The polarizing Touch Bar on the prime of the keyboard can be regarded as going bye-bye. Reliable Apple prognosticator Ming-Chi Kuo final yr predicted that we’d see two MacE book Pros with mini-LED shows this yr. Apple earlier this yr launched a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini-LED show, so bringing the tech to its MacBooks wouldn’t be uncommon.

According to Bloomberg, each laptops can be powered by a “higher-end version of the M1 chip” that has 10 cores: eight high-performance and two low-power. The chip has to this point been principally known as the M1X, although different leakers have dubbed it the M2. In any case, we’ll discover out what it’s really referred to as on Monday.

Any Chance We’ll See Other Macs?

There have been murmurs that we would possibly see a higher-end Mac Mini with the M1X. Bloomberg’s Marc Gurman famous in a e-newsletter earlier this summer season to count on it within the subsequent “several months”—which might put the Unleashed occasion proper inside that timeline. The M1 Mac Mini was launched final November, but it surely was envisioned as an entry-level machine and was subsequently irritating for some inventive professionals because of its lack of ports. The higher-end Mini would have extra ports and probably a MagSafe connector and an up to date design.

That’s the one different Mac that we’re prone to see. According to Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly engaged on a more recent MacE book Air, a smaller Mac Pro, one other lower-end MacE book Pro, and a bigger iMac. However, we’re not prone to see these earlier than 2022, as Apple doesn’t need its units to compete for consideration.

Will macOS Monterey Launch Already?

We already know what to anticipate from macOS Monterey. Right now, it’s the final of Apple’s annual OS upgrades that’s nonetheless in beta, and it’s possible it’ll get a public launch as soon as the brand new MacBooks are formally right here. macOS Monterey isn’t as foundational a change as Big Sur was final yr, however normally, you possibly can count on it to work extra seamlessly along with your iPhone and different Apple units. That mentioned, we’re nonetheless undecided after we’ll see Universal Control, a neat function that may allow you to use a single keyboard and mouse to manage your Macs and iPads. It, and FaceTime’s SharePlay function for internet hosting watch/listening events with buddies, have been delayed to some nebulous “future release.”

What About New AirPods?

We absolutely anticipated to see the AirPods 3 finally month’s occasion… after which that didn’t occur. Earlier this month, a DigiTimes report famous that they had been nonetheless on monitor to be launched by the top of this yr. They’re additionally rumored to already be in mass production, which implies we stand a very good likelihood of seeing them on the Unleashed occasion. Of course, Apple may additionally simply launch these stealthily, with out a lot fanfare, at a later date and time.

AirPods 3 rumors have been swirling for some time now. What we all know is that they’re anticipated to borrow some design parts from the AirPods Pro, however will lack higher-end options like ANC and Spatial Audio. What’s unclear is whether or not they’ll function ear suggestions for higher match or whether or not they’ll have a U1 chip for Precision Finding within the FindMy app.

So there you’ve it. The Unleashed occasion will possible be a smaller affair than final month’s iPhone 13 extravaganza. That mentioned, that is Apple and you’ll by no means actually rule out a “One More Thing” second. As all the time, Gizmodo’s shopper tech staff can be live-blogging Monday’s occasion with our regular mix of chaos and evaluation—and you recognize you need in.