Although Apple is yet to announce an event this month, it’s now a tradition for the Cupertino company to follow up its September blockbuster with a smaller affair, showing off new MacBooks and iPads. With the rumor mill going into overdrive, this year is no exception, and so below, we’ve rounded up five things you should expect…
A new MacBook Pro
Apple is widely expected to announce an all-new MacBook Pro later this month in a new 16-inch form factor.
Indeed, rumors have suggested that the company has been working on a redesigned MacBook Pro that would sit at the top of the Pro family, with an estimated price tag of around $3,000 for the base model, bringing it in line with the pricing of the iMac Pro.
The new model is expected to drop Apple’s controversial butterfly keyboard, with Ming-Chi Kuo adding that the company will return to scissor-switch keys and set a new precedent on the Mac.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro will also rock a ninth-generation Intel Coffee Lake-H processor, copying the current 15-inch MacBook Pro. That model is expected to be discontinued entirely as Apple opts for 13-inch and 16-inch Pro models moving forward, with the eventual plan to introduce a whole-new MacBook Pro range in the coming year.
Apple Tags
Apple has been working on a new personal item tracker for a number of months, and that product is expected to see the light of day later this month.
It’ll form part of the new Find My app after leaks discovered an “Items” tab encouraging users to purchase tags to monitor the location of items such as keys, teddy bears, and other easy-to-lose items.
Apple is expected to introduce a new augmented reality feature that would augment a balloon where the lost item has been located, relying on the iPhone’s camera to identify its location.
iPad Pro
Following the release of iPadOS last month, we’re expecting to see a refresh to the iPad Pro range later this month.
It might not be huge, as last year brought major changes, but Apple is still expected to add some new features.
Those features include bringing the triple-lens camera from the iPhone 11 to the iPad Pro, alongside a major performance bump, jumping from the A12X Bionic chip to the A13X Bionic Processor.
Mac Pro
Announced in June, Apple is expected to release the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR “this fall,” so a keynote would give Apple the opportunity to confirm a release date.
Apple has overhauled the Mac Pro returning to its iconic aluminum chassis design, whilst a standalone Pro Display XDR offers unparalleled screen quality for designers and filmmakers.
Apple has until December to release the product if it wants to ship on time, and we’re expecting to see the device release in November following an October keynote and release date announcement, but it could effectively drop online without much warning.
HomePod 2
Finally, Apple could be readying an updated version of its HomePod product in time for the holiday season, and if so we’d expect the company to show off its latest iteration this month.
Apple has struggled to compete with the likes of Amazon and Google, who offer their Echo and Home devices from as little as $25 during promotional periods, and by introducing a cheaper HomePod without the bells and whistles of the original device, the company could claim its crown as the best smart speaker brand.
Siri has come on leaps and bounds in recent months, too, and a new HomePod update later in the year will bring multi-user support and Handoff for Apple Music, which is great for users.
What do you expect Apple to introduce this month? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @AppleMagazine.