Apple’s first fall event of 2021 focused on the iPhone and the Apple Watch, but the second, set to be held on Monday, October 18, is expected to…
Apple’s first fall event of 2021 focused on the iPhone and the Apple Watch, but the second, set to be held on Monday, October 18, is expected to be Mac-centric. The upcoming event will see the debut of the highly anticipated 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, plus we could also get refreshed AirPods and a new Mac mini. It’s been two years since the 16-inch MacBook Pro models last saw a refresh, and we’re long overdue for an update. We’ve been hearing rumors about significantly redesigned 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models for many months now, making this one of the most anticipated refreshes of the year. Apple is expected to introduce new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a design update that features the same flat-edged look we’ve seen introduced for the iPhone 13, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini, but on the MacBook Pro, don’t expect the new machines to look too wildly different. The new MacBooks will have slimmer bezels and will lack “MacBook Pro” wording at the bottom to save space. In a callback to the MacBook Pros of yore, Apple is planning to reintroduce ports that have been missing since the 2016 refresh. We’re expecting an SD card slot and an HDMI port, which will join the USB-C ports and headphone jack. The 2021 machines will also see the return of MagSafe, and will feature a breakaway MagSafe charging port that’s not too different from the MagSafe port that Apple used for pre-2016 machines. MagSafe technology may bring faster charging speeds than are available with USB-C, but specific details aren’t known yet. As expected, MagSafe will require a new charging cable design and an updated power adapter. Continuing on with the return to a classic design, the 2021 MacBook Pro models will not have an interactive OLED Touch Bar, with Apple instead opting for a standard row of function keys.
