What to Expect From an Apple Event in October: iPad Mini 7, Redesigned Mac Mini, and More

by

Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips.

M4 Mac mini Black PerspectiveA concept of a smaller Mac mini

Below, we recap rumors about a potential Apple event in October, along with new products that are expected to be announced.

Apple Event in October

In his Power On newsletter earlier this month, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said that Apple will hold an October event this year to announce new iPads, including an updated iPad mini, along with the first Macs with the M4 series of chips.

“There are also new iPads in the works, including an upgraded mini version,” he wrote. “They’re on deck for Apple’s October event alongside the M4 Macs.”

Apple has yet to announce an October event this year, so this remains a rumor for now.

New Products Expected

MacBook Pro

m3 mbp space black
Apple plans to announce updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips in the coming weeks, according to Gurman. No design changes have been rumored for the laptops this year, with improvements such as an OLED display and thinner design not expected until 2026 at the earliest.

Apple last redesigned the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2021, and the latest models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips were released last October.

iMac

M4 iMac Feature Teal
Apple also plans to update the iMac with the M4 chip in the coming weeks, according to Gurman. No design changes are expected for the desktop computer.

An unanswered question: Will the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad accessories for the iMac finally switch from Lightning to USB-C this year?

Mac mini

M4 Mac mini Black Ortho CoolerA concept of a smaller Mac mini

Gurman expects the Mac mini to be updated with M4 and M4 Pro chips in the coming weeks, and he said the desktop computer will be redesigned to become nearly as small as an Apple TV. The new Mac mini will apparently lack USB-A ports, and instead feature five USB-C ports, including two on the front of the computer.

This would be the Mac mini’s first major redesign since 2010.

iPad mini

ipad mini 2021 youtube
As mentioned, Gurman expects a seventh-generation iPad mini to be unveiled at the event.

Rumored features for the next iPad mini over the previous model include a faster chip, upgraded front and rear cameras, a fix for “jelly scrolling” screen tearing in portrait orientation, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, and new color options.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the next iPad mini would enter mass production in the second half of 2024, so there is agreement from multiple credible sources about the device being updated later this year.

Apple released the current iPad mini in September 2021, with new features at the time including a larger 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G support on cellular models, a 12-megapixel rear camera with Center Stage support, compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and more.

Gurman has said “new, lower-end iPads” plural will be unveiled in the coming weeks, so there could be an iPad 11 at Apple’s event too. However, iPad 11 display shipments are not expected to begin until October, so the device could debut later.

Popular Stories

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year’s iPhone 17

Monday September 23, 2024 2:00 am PDT by

Apple’s iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple’s 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip…

Apple’s 80% Charging Limit for iPhone: How Much Did It Help After a Year?

Tuesday September 24, 2024 2:09 pm PDT by

With the iPhone 15 models that came out last year, Apple added an opt-in battery setting that limits maximum charge to 80 percent. The idea is that never charging the iPhone above 80 percent will increase battery longevity, so I kept my iPhone at that 80 percent limit from September 2023 to now, with no cheating. My iPhone 15 Pro Max battery level is currently at 94 percent with 299 cycles….

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Thursday September 26, 2024 11:16 am PDT by

Apple today released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, with the software available for both the USB-C and Lightning models. The AirPods Pro 2 firmware has a build number of 7A305, up from the 7A302 firmware released earlier in September. There is no word yet on what’s included in the firmware, but Apple is planning to add hearing aid and hearing test features to the AirPods Pro 2…

Apple Preparing iOS 18.0.1 Update for iPhone Following Several Bugs

Thursday September 26, 2024 9:34 am PDT by

Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 18.0.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website’s analytics this week. Our logs have accurately revealed many iOS versions before they were released. We expect iOS 18.0.1 to be a minor update focused on bug fixes. Issues that could be addressed with the update include touchscreen issues affecting the iPhone 16 series…

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.1

Friday September 27, 2024 6:14 am PDT by

Apple is set to release iOS 18.1 in October, bringing the first set of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update marks a significant step forward in Apple’s AI integration, offering a new Siri contextually-aware experience and a range of additional capabilities powered by on-device machine learning and large language models. There are a couple of handy new…

Best Buy Takes Up to $1,000 Off M2 iPad Pro With Record Low Prices

Best Buy is back this week with big discounts on the M2 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, providing up to $1,000 off select models. A My Best Buy Plus/Total membership is not required to see these discounts. You’ll find both Wi-Fi and cellular tablets on sale at Best Buy, with a particular focus on the larger capacity 1TB and 2TB models. All deals listed below represent record low prices on…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech Blog

See More Posts

Contact us

Partner with Us for Comprehensive IT

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have and help you determine which of our services best fit your needs.

Your benefits:
What happens next?
1

We Schedule a call at your convenience 

2

We do a discovery and consulting meting 

3

We prepare a proposal 

Schedule a Free Consultation
top
Simplifying IT
for a complex world.
Platform partnerships