For those who listen to Hip Hop must know of Jay Z’s Brooklyn song -Chorus “Hello Brooklyn, how you doing? Where you going? And can I come too? And If I can…” Now guess what’s going to happen In Brooklyn?
Apple is hosting an event on Tuesday October 30 where it is expected to announce more product updates, including new iPads.
But instead of holding a press conference in San Francisco or its Cupertino, California campus, Apple executives will take the stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Trick or treat … or iPad? As busy a year as Apple’s already had, the company is not finished rolling out new products yet. So, if you’re in the market for a laptop or tablet, you’re about to get some very good news.
Every other year or so, Apple holds an October event ahead of the holiday shopping season to show off product updates it couldn’t fit into its splashier iPhone event in September. Last month, Apple unveiled its new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.
In Brooklyn, we’ll likely see new iPads, Macs and perhaps second-generation AirPods.
Rumors about everything from a MacBook Air successor to iPad Pro updates have been rumbling for months. And if Apple’s planning on unleashing those products in time to get them in front of holiday shoppers, this will be the month to finally reveal what the company’s been working on for both its MacBook and iPad product lines.
The invites, which were emailed to reporters Thursday morning, featured artistic renderings of the Apple logo. It’s unclear if each recipient received a unique piece of logo art, but tweets on social media indicate many invitations included different, colorful versions. Our theory: Each logo was made on an iPad.
Curious about what we might see this October? Here’s a closer look at what to expect, based on the most-popular rumors now circulating.
When will Apple’s October 2018 event happen?
An invite sent to the press today (Oct. 18) revealed that Apple will hold the event on October 30, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House in New York.
As we’ve seen on Twitter, the invites appear to be unique for each outlets, with some getting black and white drawings, and others getting retro designs.
Wait, didn’t Apple just hold a press event to introduce new products?
Yes. Back on Sept. 12, Apple unveiled new iPhones plus a new Apple Watch at the company’s Cupertino campus. Apart from some nods toward software such as iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS, those were the only products Apple discussed.
But Apple sells other things, too (even if critics feel the company may have forgotten that). And some of those products are in need of a refresh, ideally before the year is out.
What’s going to happen to the MacBook?
One of the most obvious things Apple could do to freshen up its laptop offerings is put new processors inside both the MacBook and MacBook Air. Currently running on 7th Gen Intel Core processors, the MacBook is a generation behind what’s inside Apple’s MacBook Pros. And that’s light years ahead of the MacBook Air, which is still making do with 5th Gen processors.
A persistent rumor for the last few months has been that Apple would come out with a sub-$1,000 MacBook featuring 8th Gen Intel Core CPUs. A Bloomberg report from August, though, suggested that this will be no mere MacBook Air refresh. Instead, the new low-cost laptop would have thinner bezels around its 13-inch Retina display.
Apple could position this rumored laptop as a remodeled MacBook Air or give it an entirely new brand name. The new laptop could also knock the 12-inch MacBook out of Apple’s lineup if the company decides to draw a more distinct line between its MacBook Pro offerings and its low-cost laptop aimed at bargain hunters and schools. That said, rumors persist that Intel’s recently released Amber Lake CPUs will find their way into a new MacBook model.
What about the iPad?
If Apple has an iPad update in the works, it will almost certainly involve an iPad Pro. And rumors suggest that Apple’s going to roll out a new size for its pro-level tablet.
In this scenario, touted by respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo among others, an 11-inch iPad Pro would replace the current 10.5-inch version of the tablet. This wouldn’t just be a bump in screen size: Apple would shrink down the bezel around the iPad Pro’s display, get rid of the Home button and add a TrueDepth front camera similar to the one on the current iPhone X models. That would mean features like Face ID and Animoji/Memoji would make their way to Apple’s tablets.
Since it would make little sense to have just one iPad Pro offering these features, Apple would make the same changes to its 12.9-inch iPad Pro, adding the TrueDepth camera and all the capabilities it supports to that model. Images of the new iPad Pro, starting with a render of the slate have leaked online, and the latest shot of the tablet is an actual photo of the slate, in a case with Apple Pencil attached.
An Oct. 8 report from 9to5Mac seems to confirm all of these features and more. Citing sources familiar with the iPad Pro’s development, the publication claims that the tablet will once again come in two sizes (each with Wi-Fi and LTE variations), and will have nearly edge-to-edge bezels. The report says that the iPad’s Face ID functionality will work in both portrait and landscape mode, and that the tablet will have a USB-C port that can output in 4K HDR to external displays.
These new iPad Pros will likely see a major speed upgrade, as a new report claims the tablets will sport a brand-new A12X processor, codenamed Vortex internally at Apple. That chip would be the next iteration of the A12 CPU found in the iPhone XS, XS Max and upcoming iPhone XR.
According to 9to5Mac, you can also look forward to a new Apple Pencil with proximity pairing, as well as a new magnetic connector for attaching accessories.
Oh, and speaking of accessories, hope you have AirPods. Dual rumors (1, 2) suggest Apple will rip the headphone jack out of the iPad Pro. The tablets’ thinness may get the blame.
What else might Apple announce?
Laptops and iPads aren’t the only Apple products getting a little long in the tooth. That same Bloomberg story also says the company may roll out a new version of its Mac mini computer. An update’s been a long time coming: Apple hasn’t touched that product since 2014.
The company’s iMacs have seen a more recent update, with 2017 ushering in a model that added a 5K display alongside processor and graphic improvements. The iMac Pro also shipped in late 2017, so it’s unlikely to get a refresh this month.
Speaking of products announced in 2017, Apple’s AirPower charging pad remains MIA even after September’s iPhone event, amid speculation that Apple may have even scrapped the product. The future’s a little rosier for Apple’s AirPod wireless headphones, with a new version reportedly in the works. Either of these accessories could be announced alongside a new iPad without too much trouble.
