Apple expected to hold iPad & Retina iMac event on Oct. 16

Citing unnamed sources familiar with the company's plans, Re/code reported on Friday that Apple's next special event is expected to take place in less than two weeks. Reporter John Paczkowski said the event is expected to be held at the company's Town Hall Auditorium at its corporate campus in Cupertino, Calif.

The event is reportedly expected to be a "more laid-back affair" than the unveiling of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch that took place in September.

AppleInsider first reported last month that Apple was planning its next major product unveiling in mid-to-late October. Sources familiar with the company's pre-launch logistics said that the company had set internal project and marketing deadlines of mid-October.

New iPads with Touch ID and a new iMac with Retina display are expected at Apple's Oct. 16 event. Yosemite is also scheduled to launch this fall.

If the date proves accurate, Apple's event would come less than a week before the company is scheduled to report its September quarter earnings, after the markets close on Monday, Oct. 20.

Paczkowski said on Friday that iPads and a new iMac are expected to headline the event. Recent rumors have suggested the company plans to unveil a new 27-inch iMac with a 5K-resolution Retina display, which would mark the first time ever Apple will offer an ultra-high resolution panel on its all-in-one desktop.

As for iPads, it is widely expected that Apple's 2014 lineup refresh will bring add Touch ID fingerprint sensor currently exclusive to the iPhone. It's also highly likely that the new iPads will boast the same A8 processor found in the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Another recent report suggested the next-generation iPads may also be offered in a gold color, taking after the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s before them.

Also expected to take a prominent role at the event is OS X Yosemite, Apple's upcoming Mac operating system update. Yosemite was first showcased to developers at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference this summer, and is scheduled to launch in the fall. It's likely that Yosemite will become available for download very soon after Apple's anticipated Oct. 16 presentation.

The company has also revealed that Apple Pay, its NFC-based secure mobile payment service for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, will launch with a forthcoming iOS 8 update in October, giving it a possible appearance at the rumored event.

Less certain is an anticipated MacBook Air redesign with a high-resolution Retina display and an all-new ultra-thin form factor. The existing 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models without Retina displays were updated in April with modest upgrades and price cuts, while the newly redesigned version was originally claimed to debut this year.

However, recent rumors have suggested the launch of a new MacBook Air with Retina display may be pushed back to 2015. The new model is expected to come in one screen size of 12 inches, and is rumored to feature a fan-less quiet design, click-less trackpad, and fewer inputs and outputs on its shrunken frame.

Apple is also rumored to be working on an update to its Apple TV set-top box, potentially with new input methods and support for downloadable third-party applications. But the latest claims suggest Apple remains held up by talks with cable companies and content owners, suggesting that such negotiations could push the launch of a hardware refresh back to 2015.