Apple October event: What to expect

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Apple just held its special event to unveil the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro a few weeks ago, but there’s still more to come this fall. As we detailed last week, Apple is set to unveil new M4 Macs and updates to the iPad as soon as October. Will it hold another special event to do so? Here’s what history suggests.

Apple October event history

Historically, Apple has held special events in October multiple times. Here’s a recap of the last five Apple events that were held in October:

October 30, 2023: “Scary fast” event for the new MacBook Pro (14” and 16”) and the new iMac, powered by the M3 family of chips.
October 18, 2021: “Unleashed” event, introducing the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.
October 13, 2020: “Hi, Speed” event, unveiling the iPhone 12 lineup and the HomePod mini.
October 30, 2018: “There’s more in the making” event, introducing the new iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.
October 27, 2016: “Hello again” event, launching a refreshed MacBook Pro lineup with the new Touch Bar.

As you can see, Apple doesn’t always hold an October event, but when it does, it’s typically focused on the Mac—and Apple has a lot of Mac announcements to make. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also hinted that Apple plans another event in October.

One rumor has suggested that the new M4 Macs will begin shipping to customers sometime in November. This suggests that Apple’s October event will be held toward the end of the month, similar to what we saw with last year’s “Scary fast” event.

Apple October event: What to expect

Last week, we rounded up everything Apple is expected to announce in October. The focus will be on the Mac as Apple begins the transition to the M4 chip.

New M4 MacBook Pro
A completely redesigned M4 Mac mini
New M4 24-inch iMac

Apple is eventually planning to update its entire lineup of Macs to the M4 chip. The MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro are expected to follow suit sometime in 2025.

After updating the iPad Pro in May, Apple is also working on updates to the entry-level iPad as well as the iPad mini. Both of these are likely candidates for an October announcement, ensuring that they’re available in time for the holiday shopping season.

In addition to new hardware, iOS 18.1 and Apple Intelligence are also set to launch in October. Apple could use a special event to tout once again its foray into artificial intelligence – a move that investors would certainly appreciate.