7 announcements to look forward to from Apple’s October event

Apple should hold an event in October to officially unveil new hardware, including a few M4 Macs, but we expect other announcements, too.

Apple usually, but not always, holds a product event in October after unveiling new phones, watches and earbuds in September. Even though the company hasn’t announced an October event (yet), that doesn’t stop us from speculating.

The company unveiled its latest M4 silicon alongside the new iPad Pro in May. The Mac lineup is stuck with the M3 chip, so a Mac-focused event in October seems highly likely. Without further ado, we’ve rounded up everything we think Apple will announce in October as the Mac is about to adopt the M4 processor.

Apple’s October event should bring these announcements

1. Say hello to the eleventh-generation iPad

The tenth-generation iPad, also known as the 10.9-inch iPad, was released in October 2022 with flatter edges, no Home button, the A4 Bionic chip, a Touch ID sensor built into the power button and the silver, blue, pink and yellow color finishes.

As the most affordable iPad, starting at $450, the regular iPad is now ripe for a refresh. We expect to see the next iPad unveiled in October rather than next year, bringing a new chip and color finishes, plus other minor updates.

2. Internal upgrades and a jolly scrolling fix for an iPad mini 7

The iPad mini isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s a popular tablet computer in verticals like healthcare and airline, and regular people are liking it. The current iPad mini 6 was launched two years ago with the A15 Bionic chip and a fullscreen appearance akin to the iPad Pro with a Touch ID sensor built into the top button.

We think Apple will unveil an iPad mini 7 at an October event, bringing under-the-hood tweaks such as a new processor capable of running Apple Intelligence, more base storage and other internal upgrades. The next Mac mini might get support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and we’re hoping Apple will fix the display’s jelly scrolling issue.

3. The MacBook Pro will get M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max

The MacBook Pro laptop is currently available in 14 and 16-inch sizes, with M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips depending on the configuration. As Apple’s laptop for the pros, the MacBook Pro will undoubtedly get an M4-focused upgrade in October.

We expect 14-inch versions to swap the M3 chip for the M4 one, with 16-inch configurations getting the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. We’re not holding our breath for a major redesign of the MacBook Pro line or new sizes. However, Thunderbolt, other I/O ports, charging and other specs might be boosted. For what it’s worth, this should be your typical specs upgrade.

4. The Mac mini will be shrunken down

Apple is rumored to shrink the Mac mini even further in the biggest redesign since the Steve Jobs era, down to roughly the size of the Apple TV. The miniature computer should ditch USB-A ports and have only USB-C ports, in addition to a slew of other expansion ports, including HDMI and Ethernet. We expect the M4 and M4 Pro versions of the Mac mini.

5. The iMac will get a specs bump

As Apple continues “exploring” a bigger iMac, its colorful iMac should get updated with M4 processors. The all-in-one desktop was last refreshed in October of last year with the M3 chip, bringing 2x faster performance than the current M1 models.

We expect the next iMac to retain its 27-inch 4.5K Retina display and get the M4 chip. Apple may have a few other surprises up its sleeve but don’t expect a major redesign (the last revamp was in 2021) besides a few new color finishes.

6. Updated Magic accessories with USB-C

Apple must comply with the EU law that mandates that consumer electronics devices use USB-C as the standard connector for data and charging. The current Magic Keyboard, Mouse and Trackpad are equipped with a Lightning port. Given the EU’s deadline and the fact that the next iMac will probably bring new colors, we think Apple will seize the opportunity to also update these accessories with USB-C charging and new iMac-matching colors.

7. Apple Intelligence will get a release date

Apple has said that Apple Intelligence will be available alongside iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. These operating systems are currently in a beta-testing phase, but we expect the company to announce release dates for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 at the event. Apple said earlier that the Apple Intelligence features will be released in stages in 2024 and 2025.

The initial wave of Apple Intelligence features coming with the above updates includes Siri’s new glow animation and better natural language understanding thanks to large language models, automatic summarization of notifications, web pages, emails and texts, suggested replies in the Messages and Mail apps, a Clean Up feature in Photos to remove objects with seamless background replacement, priority messages in Mail, a new Focus mode called Reduce Interruptions, the ability to create photo and video Memories in Photos by typing a simple description, writing tools to proofread, rewrite, and reformat any text, and more.

When will new M4 Macs arrive?

Upcoming M4 Macs are believed to double the base RAM to 16GB for the first time, and you can thank Apple Intelligence for that. One thing about these M4 Macs is that they’re rumored to arrive in November instead of October, although Apple could open pre-orders after the event.

What Apple likely won’t unveil at an October event

The rumor mill thinks there won’t be an M4 MacBook Air this year, and we concur. Apple’s best-selling consumer laptop was updated with the M3 chip and a new 15-inch model in March, so we don’t expect it to receive a specs bump just seven months later. Instead, the MacBook Air line should get M4 in spring 2025.

As for Apple’s workstations, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, those should get M4-focused updates in the second half of 2025. A high-end version of the M4 should appear in the next Mac Pro, and it’s rumored to support nearly three times more RAM than the current M3 Mac Pro.

All Apple events held since the pandemic have been pre-taped keynotes with limited in-person attendance at the Steve Jobs Theater for select press members, and an October event should be no exception. You’ll be able to follow along via Apple’s YouTube channel, the Apple Events page and the TV app.

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