Apple on Tuesday will hold its second big media event in less than two months. While it unveiled three new iPhones in September, the company is expected to reveal updates to its iPad and Mac computer lines on Tuesday, Oct. 30, starting at 10 a.m. ET, in New York. Here are the new products that Apple is rumored to be introducing:
Almost definite:
Over the past few years, Apple has unveiled new iPads in October, and it would be surprising if it didn’t do so again on Tuesday. One iPad Pro will have an 11-inch screen and add Apple’s Face ID login system while losing its home button, according to well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo at TF International Securities. A recent leak of system icons from an upcoming Apple software release revealed what looked like an iPad with rounded corners and no home button, consistent with Kuo’s prediction.
Pretty darn likely:
A number of Apple’s laptop and desktop Macs could also be updated. The company already released new MacBook Pro laptops in July, so among the most rumored updates for October is a refresh of the company’s slim MacBook with a 12-inch screen. At the lower-end of Apple’s laptop range, the device, which has just one USB-C port, hasn’t been upgraded since June, 2017. Intel introduced 8th-generation updates this summer to the low power chips Apple has used in the MacBook, signaling what one likely improvement will be. Some fans hope Apple will cut the price on the cheapest MacBook, which currently starts at $1,300, below $1,000.
Apple also hasn’t updated its all-in-one desktop iMac line up since last June, so a series of obvious updates—faster processors and graphics cards, better screens and hard drives, USB-C ports—may be planned.
Maybes:
Apple hasn’t updated its wireless ear pods, called AirPods, since introducing them in 2016. Last year, Apple said it’s making a wireless charging mat called the AirPower that would be compatible with the AirPods, so a new AirPods model could be planned with a different case design. Models that are waterproof and include noise cancelling aren’t expected until next year , however. And speaking of that wireless charging mat, which Apple first mentioned over a year ago as a solution for re-powering AirPods, watches and phones at the same time—it could also be released at Tuesday’s event. Of course, many expected the long-delayed product would be announced at the September iPhone event.
Out of the blue:
Few expect that Apple (AAPL) will introduce its new video streaming service this week. But some of the wilder but plausible rumors indicate that Apple might revamp one of its longest neglected Mac products, the inexpensive Mac mini. Last updated in 2014, the mini is a small, silver box that’s sold without a keyboard, mouse or screen. Apple has also said it will finally update its 2013 Mac Pro (the one that looks like a small, black trash can) sometime next year, but could the company preview or release the highest-end desktop in its line up months early?