Apple isn’t done. Fresh from its launch of no less than three new iPhones and a new Apple Watch, the tech giant is poised to reveal what’s next for its other major products: the iPad and the Mac. Apple sent out invitations to the press for an event on Oct. 30. Surprisingly, the Cupertino, California-based […] Apple isn’t done. Fresh from its launch of no less than three new
Apple isn’t done.
Fresh from its launch of no less than three new iPhones and a new Apple Watch, the tech giant is poised to reveal what’s next for its other major products: the iPad and the Mac.
Apple sent out invitations to the press for an event on Oct. 30. Surprisingly, the Cupertino, California-based company is holding the event on the East Coast, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City.
Does the choice of venue have any special meaning? Probably, although Apple probably won’t say exactly what that is until the keynote gets underway at 10 a.m. ET that morning. But it seems fairly safe to speculate that the news will emphasize the creative tools that Apple’s Macs and iPads are known for.
So what will Apple reveal? Let’s kick off our informed speculation with some basics: Apple, in recent years, has usually saved its major refreshes of the iPad and Mac for its October events, and the rumor mill appears to confirm this. Various Apple products are due for a refresh, and the company still needs to make good on some promised releases (AirPower, where art thou?).
Given all that, here’s our best (educated) guess on what Apple will unveil at its “There’s More in the Making” event:
Apple is planning for new iPad Pros.
Image: JHila Farzaneh/Mashable
Even absent any leaks, it’s easy to tell that Apple is planning for new iPad Pros. For starters, the line hasn’t been updated since June 2017, when Apple refreshed the 12.9-inch model and introduced the 10.5-inch version, so they’re definitely overdue for a revamp (they’re still rocking A10X chips, now two generations old).
Add to that the competition among productivity-oriented touch devices has intensified. In the past few weeks, we’ve seen new high-end tablets and “convertibles” from Google, Microsoft, and others. A slew of laptops and higher-end machines are putting the pressure on Apple’s long-in-tooth tablets, which are explicitly aimed at creative professionals
Then, of course, there are the leaks. For months, reports, renderings, and various bits of code have strongly pointed to an iPad Pro refresh, but with an expected twist: The new models will be the first iPads with edge-to-edge displays and no home button, which all but guarantees Face ID will be a feature as well.
In the era of the iPhone X, that’s probably no surprise, but this is: Reports also strongly suggest the new iPads will have USB-C ports instead of Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector. Jury’s still out on this detail, but Apple would only open up its typically walled garden in this way if USB-C enabled something essential that Lightning can’t do (like exporting 4K video to an external display at a high frame rate). In other words, possible, but still highly questionable.
New iPad Pros also means the possibility of a new Apple Pencil.
Image: Jhila Farzaneh/Mashable
New iPad Pros also means the possibility of a new Apple Pencil, with even greater capabilities and possibly a new form factor. Finally, will there be a new, possibly edge-to-edge iPad mini? Apple’s said to have plans for that, but with a target release date in 2019, so don’t look for it at this event.
Apple hasn’t had a good, modern entry-level laptop since the release of the skinny MacBook in 2015. While many expected that machine would eventually get cheaper and take over the entry-level spot from the MacBook Air, that hasn’t happened.
The MacBook Air still has point position in Apple’s laptops, starting at $999, but it’s an inferior machine compared to the MacBook and MacBook Pros by almost any standard. Over the years it’s been often predicted Apple would at least update its screen to a “retina” display, but that so far hasn’t happened.
A tantalizing report from the summer, however, suggests Apple may be doing something else: a new entry-level MacBook with a retina display and thinner bezels that looks similar to the MacBook Air. It’s unclear what ports it would have, but presumably more than the single-port design MacBook. If this new species of MacBook is indeed in the works, we may get our first look at it on Tuesday.
Apple is due to update its iMac desktop computers.
Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
Besides the new MacBook, Apple is due to update its iMac desktop computers, which last got a refresh in summer 2017. And CEO Tim Cook has promised that Apple hasn’t forgotten about the Mac mini: the square gray box that requires an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Expect both lines to get formal introductions at Tuesday’s event.
What about a new iMac Pro or Mac Pro? It’s possible, though the iMac Pro hasn’t even been in the market for a full year, so that’s unlikely. The Mac Pro, which Apple has said it’s working on, is now expected to arrive in 2019. However, Apple could use its event to formally unveil it, since it would be appropriate to tease such a high-end appropriate device several months early.
Finally, Apple may tick off a box it failed to do with the MacBook Pro refresh in the summer: a non-Touch Bar model with updated Intel chips.
Even if you stick to products, features, and services Apple has already talked about, the company has a lot of catching up to do. Here’s the rest of Apple’s to-do list, ranked from most to least likely.
It definitely feels like it’s time for an AirPower launch.
Image: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Whatever Apple has in store, Mashable will be right in the middle of it. Our team will be a Tuesday’s event, so stay tuned for news, analysis, LOL-worthy GIFs, and more.
