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Apple Silicon MacBook Pro and AirPods event is on October 18

Last updated

Apple has announced that it will hold a second fall keynote event on Monday, Oct. 18, with the so-called "Unleashed" event expected to focus on new Apple Silicon high-end MacBook Pro models, and AirPods.

The Apple event is slated for 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern). It comes about a month after Apple unveiled the iPhone 13, iPad mini 6, and other products at its Sept. 14 "California Streamin'" event.

As with Apple's keynotes during the pandemic, the event will likely be pre-recorded but broadcast live.

AppleInsider will be covering the event live, providing full analysis during and after the event, and will include details of all of Apple's product launches and updates.

What to expect at Apple's "Unleashed" event

Apple refreshed its iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch families back in September, but there are still some pending updates to expect in the Mac and AirPods lineup.

Most notably, Apple is likely to debut a new 14-inch MacBook Pro and a 16-inch MacBook Pro equipped with an upgraded Apple Silicon chip. The devices are also rumored to sport mini LED backlighting, upgraded cameras, and the possibility of additional port options.

Alongside the new MacBook Pro models, Apple could also unveil a refreshed Mac mini with a new chassis design, additional color options, expanded port selection, and the aforementioned Apple Silicon chip, which is likely to be the "M1X."

It's possible that Apple will also issue updates for its MacBook Air and iMac lineups. For the desktop model, a device with a larger screen may be on the docket.

As for AirPods, Apple is expected to debut a lower-cost model with a similar design to the AirPods Pro but without active noise cancellation.



64 Comments

ericthehalfbee 13 Years · 4489 comments

Can’t wait for two reasons.

One, I really want a new 16” MBP with Apple Silicon.

Two, this will be our first look at just how far Apple has come with their custom processors. How they perform and what they include should give us a glimpse at future Macs (for example, CPU and GPU core counts and RAM support).

tjp 3 Years · 1 comment

Just a coincidence that this was scheduled to be the day before Google’s launch of the Pixel 6?

melgross 20 Years · 33622 comments

tjp said:
Just a coincidence that this was scheduled to be the day before Google’s launch of the Pixel 6?

Yeah. The two have nothing to do with each other, and Apple’s event will get far more press coverage.

verne arase 11 Years · 479 comments

Good God. On a Monday no less.

Of course it's gonna happen on a day when I have scheduled medical tests all morning. (I kept Tuesday the 19th open: doggone Google.)

Any way, if pattern holds we won't be able to preorder until Friday the 22nd, so I can still get in line early.

16" MacBook Pro CTO, 32 GPU, 32 (or 64 GB) RAM, 2 (or 4 TB) SSD. Parenthetical specs are if nothing in the presentation precludes ARM Win running in a Parallels VM.

If this thing performs as I hope it'll have the power to run x86 games in a Parallels ARM Win VM at full speed and full resolution using ARM Win's x86 -> ARM translator. Just hope that Parallels DirectX intercepts and Metal drivers are up to the task.