Apple announced an October 18th event with a video that contained the title Unleashed.
The new MacBook Pros will be more powerful than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which was launched last November. New AirPods are also planned by the company. It also has an entire OS that was previously announced, but has yet to ship. For more information on these products, and other rumors, read on.
Redesigned MacBook Pros
The event is most likely to focus on redesigned MacBook Pros. They will have 14- and 16 inch screens and a new Apple processor. Mark Gurman (and Ming-Chi Kuo, who have a solid track record when it comes to rumors), have both stated that the laptops will have iPhone 12-esque flat sides and a redesigned MagSafe charger port. They won't have the Touch Bar that has been a staple of many MacBook Pros ever since 2016.
Ports, glorious ports
Rumours also suggest that Apple will bring back ports to its laptops in the redesign. People who remember when MacBooks could have more than one port will love the new MacBook Pros.
Mark Gurman reports that new chips will power the laptops, which will use more powerful versions of the M1 processor used in current computers. The M1X, or M2, or whatever Apple goes by, is expected to be more powerful than its predecessor (8 instead of 4), and offer 16 or 32 graphics cores (in comparison to the M1's 7 or 8). It is not clear if the new processor will eliminate any limitations that were present in the M1. None of the Apple Silicon Macs can be configured with more than 16GB RAM or 2TB storage. They also cannot run more than two displays and have only two Thunderbolt ports. The iMac, on the other hand, has two Thunderbolt and two USB-C ports. The higher-end MacBook Pros typically have four Thunderbolt ports. However, MagSafe and HDMI might make this less important.
You're not the only one thinking Wow, these new computers sound just like what I could have hoped for. There are many people who are excited about the rumors, but it is worth remembering that they don't always come true. These laptops could be hot-ticket items for quite some time if Apple takes all the feedback from the community.
Pro Mac Mini
Gurman reported recently that an upgraded Mac mini will soon be available. It will feature the same processor as the MacBook Pros, and have more ports than the Mini-powered M1. This is an interesting rumor, as the M1 Mini offers one of the most extensive port options on an M1 Mac, with USB-A and HDMI, two Thunderbolt connections, and optional 10-gigabit Ethernet. The 2018 Intel-based Mac Mini Pro, which many people refer to as "Mac Mini Pro" (partially due to the space grey color), features all that and two additional Thunderbolt ports. A replacement for the 2018 Mac Mini is a good option for those who are looking for a powerful Apple-powered desktop. There have been no rumors of a 27-inch iMac.
AirPods New
Kuo, Gurman, and Nikkei all reported that Apple is currently working on a sequel to its non-Pro AirPods. They also stated that the headphones would feature shorter stems than their more expensive counterparts. AirPods might have fit better at Apple's iPhone event. However, they may not be there on the 18th. It is possible that Apple announces them via press releases, just like the AirPods Pro or Max. However, considering how popular the original AirPods were, it seems like they should be given some event time.
Date for macOS Monterey's release
Apple has released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. However, macOS Monterey which was also announced with them is still in beta. It would be strange for Apple to release new Macs running macOS Big Sur straight out of the box. This is especially true considering that Monterey was first announced at WWDC three months ago. If Apple does not announce that macOS 10.1 will ship with the newly redesigned MacBook Pros I'd be surprised.
