Barely a month after the iPhone 13 was announced, Apple is having another launch event that’s scheduled for next week. The event theme is called “Unleashed” and it looks like they are launching something new for power users.
The upcoming event is happening on 18th October 10 a.m PDT which is on Tuesday, 19th October at 1am Malaysian time. You can watch the event on Apple’s website or on their official YouTube channel as embedded below:
Since the Cupertino company has already revealed its new iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch last month, it is no surprise that the next focus will be on its Mac computers. The last major update for the category was the iMac 2021 that’s powered by the Apple M1 chip. So, what can we expect to see on 19th October?
New MacBook Pro with M1X chip
It has been speculated for months now that Apple is working on an all-new MacBook Pro that features a mini-LED display. It is said to come in either 14″ or 16″ sizes and are running on a more powerful Apple M1X chip. The all-new MacBook Pro is said to feature a flat-edge industrial design as seen on the current iMac, iPad mini, iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPhone models.
There are also speculations that Apple might get rid of the Touch Bar for the new MacBook Pro but they will be bringing back MagSafe, HDMI, and even an SD card slot. This sounds like the perfect upgrade for content creators who often rely on dongles and adapters to get the job done.
The MacBook Pro models with M1X could also mark the end of Apple’s reliance on Intel to power the entire MacBook lineup. The current MacBook Air and the lower-spec MacBook Pro 13 with 2 USB-C ports are already running on Apple’s own custom M1 chip, and the last piece of the puzzle is the higher-spec MacBook Pro models with 4 USB-C ports.
More powerful Mac mini with M1X
The Apple Mac mini was updated with the Apple M1 chip back in November 2020 and it is also speculated that Apple could be introducing a more powerful version with an M1X. It is said to be configurable up to 64GB of RAM and comes with a choice of 16 or 32 graphics cores. It was also rumoured that the upcoming new Mac mini will get a redesign that’s thinner and it also uses the same magnetic snap-on power cord as the new iMac.
Finally, new AirPods?
The AirPods are the world’s best-selling true wireless earbuds and it is time for a new replacement. Since its introduction in 2016, the only significant upgrades for the 2nd generation AirPods were “Hey Siri” and wireless charging support.
The third-generation AirPods are rumoured to feature a similar design as the current AirPods Pro but you won’t be able to replace the ear tips. To make AirPods more accessible, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said it is likely that Apple will continue to sell AirPods 2 as the cheaper alternative to the AirPods 3.
