The year is not over yet, and after the iPhone 13 in September, Apple’s year still has important news and several surprises in store. We will see some of them on October 18, in the usual launch event that follows that of the iPhones. Usually in Cupertino this is the time reserved for computers, and in some cases for iPads and accessories.
The invitation that came to the press doesn’t say much, as usual: a single word, “Unleashed” (“unleashed”, more or less) and an animation that suggests the idea of speed. The reference is obvious, for those who follow the Apple world and combine the allusions coming from Cupertino with the rumors circulating on the Net: there will be a new processor, and it will be very powerful. In fact, everyone expects Tim Cook to present the new M1X chip (or M2, as it could also be called), exactly one year after the first M1 that currently equips Apple’s computers for the consumer market. This time the event would be dedicated mainly to the professional market, and the M1X will certainly end up in the new MacBook Pro.
How they will be
For Bloomberg, the new M1X chip will feature eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores, available in variants of 16 or 32 graphics cores. It should increase the amount of RAM: up to 64GB, against the 16GB of the current M1 chip. The new MacBook Pros will have a greater number of ports: MagSafe will somehow return for charging, and HDMI and SD card should also be present. Apple will almost certainly abandon the Touch Bar to return to conventional function keys. The displays are expected to use the new mini-LED technology for displays, the same one used for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro announced earlier this year. There may also be support for 120Hz refresh rate.
The new MacBook Pros may have a completely new design with flat edges similar to those of the iPad Pro and iPhone 13 and two display sizes: 16-inch, as in the current Intel-based model, and 14-inch, cons. the 13 of the current model. There are some renderings on the net that show a notch in the display, as on the current iPhone, a solution that however appears rather unlikely, since there is no need for other sensors besides the camera: the MacBook Pro will continue to have a sensor fingerprint and will not adopt FaceID, according to the most accredited experts of things Apple.
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Mac mini Pro
The new professional laptops aren’t the only Mac upgrades Apple has in the pipeline. Bloomberg reported that the new Mac mini will have identical specs to the MacBook Pro M1X with up to 64GB of RAM, 10-core CPU, and 16 or 32 graphics cores. Apple’s small desktop could also introduce a new design: it speaks of a redesigned external chassis with a reflective material “similar to plexiglass” on the top coupled with an aluminum casing. Here, too, may come additional ports over the current Mac mini, and the MagSafe connector introduced on the 24-inch iMac earlier this year. It would therefore be a sort of “pro” version of Apple’s smallest computer, which would join the current model with M1 chip and replace the one with Intel chips, currently still on sale as a top-of-the-range option.
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macOS Monterey
Speaking of computers, the official announcement of the availability of macOS Monterey is expected at Monday’s event. The new Mac operating system was announced at WWDC last June and is currently still in the public Beta phase; it could be launched as early as this week. Among the most important changes, macOS Monterey includes a new Safari, AirPlay to Mac, SharePlay, and improvements to FaceTime, and much more.
The rest
There has been talk of AirPods 3 for some time, and certainly Apple’s new true wireless earphones will arrive before Christmas; this may be the right time to launch. The AirPods 3 should have a similar appearance to the AirPods Pro, with shorter stems and a more rounded ear design. They should be added to the current AirPods 2, which may remain on sale as a base model at a reduced price: they will present several improvements but will not have – it seems – the noise cancellation and other advanced features present on the AirPods Pro. Apple may also launch an updated version of the iPad Air, released just a year ago, with a more powerful processor and 5G connection. No changes are expected in the design, except perhaps some new colors.
What will not be there
There will certainly not be a Mac Pro with an M1 processor, and in all likelihood not even a new 27-inch iMac or iMac Pro: the transition to Apple Silicon chips is still underway, and Tim Cook himself had spoken of a period of at least two years for it to be complete.
The analysis
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