Tech
Apple throwing another party on October 18, likely for new MacBook Pros
New MacBook Pros and Mac Mini powered by second-gen Apple silicon? And maybe AirPods 3?
Apple is not done with 2021 yet. The company has announced a special event for October 18 at 10 a.m PT / 1 p.m. ET; all rumors point to new Macs, specifically 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with an all-new design (and the return of beloved ports, hopefully!) and wicked fast Apple silicon.
Apple sent the below invite to media, including Input:
Apple SVP of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, also shared an animated version on Twitter:
Whatever could Joswiak be alluding to when he says “Unleashed! These next six days are going to speed by” in his tweet? Mini-LED displays? The long-rumored “M1X” chip that will reportedly blow Intel chips away with ridiculous CPU and GPU performance? Best-in-class battery performance like we see in the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pros?
MacBook Pros with ports — Apple’s 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro is looking long in the tooth. Rumors suggest Apple is rebooting its high-end laptops with a more powerful M1X chip with some serious CPU and GPU power, Mini-LED display technology (the same display tech found in the 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro), 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes, and the return of ports like MagSafe, the SD card slot, and HDMI.
Needless to say: People. Will. Freak. Out. Goodbye, useless Touch Bar. Hello, ports again. Personally, I’m stoked.
Mac Mini? — Yeah, there are rumors about a Mac Mini refresh as well. Apple updated the Mac Mini last year with the M1 chip alongside the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. But the limited ports situation and same performance left a lot to be desired. Here’s hoping Apple will provide some bump in power for its smallest desktop Mac. A redesigned chassis wouldn’t hurt either.
AirPods 3? — My god, these wireless earbuds have been rumored for so long that they have to be announced at this event. The third-generation AirPods (not the Pro version) are supposed to come with a Pro-like design sans in-ear tips. They could support spatial audio considering how hard Apple has been pushing it.
Other surprises? — Apple loves to do surprises. At the iPhone 13 event, we got the redesigned iPad mini 6. If Apple has any surprises up its sleeves, we haven’t heard about them yet. Til October 18, my friends. It’s gonna be another virtual party.
