Kevin Bostic
A new rumor has Apple preparing to host yet another special media event in October, this time with the center of attention being its new line of iPads.
Mid-October could very well see the introduction of a new line of iPads, if reports from French site MacGeneration are to be believed. This latest rumor also posits that Apple could take the opportunity to introduce new, Haswell-powered versions of several of its Mac desktop and notebook devices.
An October 15 event would fall just shy of last year's iPad event, in which Apple introduced the fourth-generation iPad and the iPad mini. It would also be Apple's second event in just over a month, as the Cupertino company introduced both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c last week.
With regard to the full-size iPad, the prevailing opinion is that Apple will rework the design of the device, bringing it more in line with the look of the iPad mini. For months now, images of the full-size iPad's redesigned case have leaked, showing it looking more like the mini with its slim bezel and thinner profile.
The iPad mini, though, remains a comparative mystery. Speculation vacillates between Apple releasing a mini with a Retina display and reports of the high-density screen meshing poorly with the mini's diminutive profile. Apple has also been said to be working on a lower-cost version of the iPad mini, though that model may not see release until next year, if at all.
On the Mac side, Apple may be preparing a line-wide refresh of its desktop and notebook offerings. Earlier this year, Apple showed off Haswell-powered MacBook Air notebooks, with Intel's new low-power chip giving those devices battery life in excess of 10 hours. Now, the latest rumor has Apple ready to show off the effects Haswell will have on its MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac line of devices.
Late last year, a leaked document showed that Haswell chips could be on their way to the 2013 line of iMacs. The expected Haswell-powered iMacs would likely have a base frequency of 3.1GHz, but they could run up to 3.9GHz with Turbo Boost.
The MacBook Pro line is expected to slim down due in part to its Haswell silicon. These models were expected to ship in September, but the latest speculation has Apple holding onto them until an October reveal.
Should the event materialize, it could also give a fuller view of Apple's radically redesigned Mac Pro. The cylindrical workstation made an appearance earlier this year at WWDC, but Apple is expected to give a much fuller view of the device when it finally does refresh its computer line.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
9 Comments
This is becoming a bit of an expensive year.
I'm really disappointed this rumor isn't a headline in AI main page. At the time of writing this, all headlines from the first page are meaningless. This rumor would bring to the AI index some of the interest it used to have.
totally agree with ecs, I just happened upon the back page because I was sick of article after article of the non-news new iphones... Apple might be a huge player in the smart phone industry now but they will always be primarily a computer company. One story I'd love to read is why they are taking so damn long to put Haswell in their machines; Intel just demoed their NEXT chip, using their 14nm process, if the new Macbook pros don't come out soon I might just as well wait for the NEXT refresh... which can't possible take as long as this one has....
[quote name="ecs" url="/t/159550/rumor-apple-planning-oct-15-event-for-new-ipads-haswell-powered-macs#post_2398882"]I'm really disappointed this rumor isn't a headline in AI main page. At the time of writing this, all headlines from the first page are meaningless. This rumor would bring to the AI index some of the interest it used to have.[/quote] I know how you feel but people buy iOS devices in a ratio of over 10:1 compared to Macs and the PC components don't come out often enough because of the lack of demand. As demand dies down in the whole PC industry, manufacturers and suppliers don't have a strong demand to compete for. Even Intel's last event they had a large focus on processors to target phones and tablets. Some of the i7 CPUs are available for the 15" MBP but the dual-cores for the 13" aren't due until Q4 (Calendar Q4 starts in October). What articles can AI write about when there's no components shipping? It used to be that Microsoft vs Apple was a focal point outside of product launches and Microsoft is just irrelevant now. The update cycles don't seem too far apart on the Macs, most are still under a year. I think interest is going to die down with all technology just like it does with cinema. When you see the same cycles happening again and again, it gets really boring after a few years. It's very uncommon that something unique enough comes along and as a result people tend to lower their expectations. Mobile phones and tablets aren't really changing much but the blogs still publish every last detail and go over as much of the politics behind it all and it works because there's nothing else to talk about.
I understand, but, from what I see, it seems AI is more biased towards iOS than the market reality. Other rumor sites tend to post more Mac rumors and news than AI. Given that I use iOS as my pocket device, it's nice to read some stuff about iOS from time to time, but my work is number crunching, and so I'm interested in computers.
As a result, some other rumor sites post some barely interesting Mac stuff from time to time. But AI is just iOS, and iOS is already on my pocket. The new Mac Pro isn't already in my pocket, so I'm very interested on it. Zero rumors, despite it's gonna been released in the coming months.