Following an eleventh-hour rumor that Apple is getting ready a Mac occasion for the top of October, the corporate has simply made it official by sending out media invitations for the press invite, which it’s dubbing “Scary quick.”
The tagline is undoubtedly a play on the timing of the occasion — the day earlier than Halloween — mixed with the chance that Apple will debut its next-generation Macs with even quicker M3 Apple silicon chips.
Carrying that motif a step additional, Apple can be breaking new floor by scheduling this as a nighttime occasion for the primary time; in contrast to different Apple occasions, which generally kick off at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (PT), Scary quick is being held at 5 p.m. PT, which units it at 8 p.m. for these on the East Coast.
This fall occasion additionally goes again to the purely digital format of Apple’s early pandemic showcases, when social distancing guidelines eradicated the opportunity of in-person attendance. Whereas Apple has by no means absolutely returned to the on-stage occasions of yesteryear, it extra lately started opening up a few of its extra vital occasions to pick out members of the press and even builders within the case of its Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC).
In-person attendees at these occasions nonetheless noticed the identical prerecorded digital occasion as everybody on-line, however they have been in a position to watch collectively on a giant display at Apple Park, and members of the press got hands-on demos of a few of the new merchandise Apple introduced, together with the iPhone 15 lineup in September, and the Imaginative and prescient Professional headset in June.
Nevertheless, if the rumors we’ve heard of recent Macs are correct, there in all probability received’t be a lot to see that’s all that new. None of Apple’s Macs are due for vital redesigns, so no matter what comes subsequent week — whether or not that’s a brand new 24-inch iMac or a extra highly effective 16-inch MacBook Professional — the modifications will possible be purely on the within. In that case, there’s much less purpose for Apple to offer hands-on time for members of the press.
As with Apple’s previous occasions, Scary quick will likely be live-streamed on all the same old platforms, together with Apple’s occasions web page, the place the placeholder has already appeared with a hyperlink so as to add the occasion to your calendar, and on Apple’s YouTube channel the place it’s also possible to signal as much as be notified when it’s about to begin. The occasion may also be streamed by way of Apple’s TV app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and supported good TVs and recreation consoles, though the hyperlink for this sometimes seems nearer to the time of the particular occasion.
What to Anticipate at ‘Scary Quick’
As is often the case with Apple occasions, the corporate hasn’t provided any vital clues on what to anticipate aside from the tagline and the Apple brand. Nevertheless, it’s hidden a extra apparent easter egg this time, because the black metallic brand on its invite web page animates into the brand for the Mac Finder app.
That confirms that the occasion will likely be centered on Macs, but it surely’s additionally not a giant reveal since no one actually anticipated in any other case. Similar to you’ll be able to mark your calendar for the arrival of recent iPhones each September, Apple’s October occasions are almost at all times Mac-focused, with the occasional iPad thrown in for good measure.
Nevertheless, whereas there’s some room for Apple to shock us, we’re not anticipating any main iPad bulletins this 12 months, in contrast to Apple’s final end-of-October occasion, held on Oct 30, 2018, the place it unveiled the considerably redesigned 11-inch and 12-inch iPad Professional fashions with Face ID alongside the second-generation Apple Pencil.
Whereas it’s attainable Apple might introduce an Eleventh-generation commonplace iPad, maybe permitting it to part out the final of its Lightning and House button-equipped fashions, the quiet debut of a USB-C Apple Pencil earlier this month appears to rule that out by suggesting that’s all Apple has to say in regards to the iPad for 2023. Mark Gurman’s sources additionally inform him that new iPads aren’t deliberate till early subsequent 12 months, possible round March.
In the end, subsequent week’s occasion is anticipated to be all in regards to the Mac, however no one is kind of certain precisely what’s coming. With a tagline like “Scary quick,” it’s a secure wager that no matter it’s will incorporate the newest M3 Apple silicon, countering doubtful rumors that Apple might have solely been planning to squeeze out a brand new M2-powered iMac.
Nevertheless, whereas an M3 iMac is due for an look, that alone doesn’t appear to justify the phrase “Scary quick,” nor wouldn’t it be sufficient to carry an Apple occasion. The extra highly effective “iMac Professional” that’s been rumored for some time remains to be reportedly a 12 months away — a timeline that Gurman lately reconfirmed — so the most probably candidate can be a brand new set of high-end MacBook Professional fashions powered by Apple’s M3 Professional and M3 Max chips.
It will be an uncommon transfer, contemplating that Apple solely refreshed these in January with the M2 Professional/Max combo, but when the M3 Max is prepared — and there’s proof that it’s — then it is smart for Apple to roll out its extra highly effective MacBooks as quickly as it may possibly.
These aren’t essentially vacation season merchandise, because the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional aren’t the type of units that sometimes present up beneath the tree. Nevertheless, along with an M3 24-inch iMac, which actually would qualify, Apple may additionally be finishing the MacBook Professional set with an M3 model of the 13-inch MacBook Professional.
That one is extra of a wildcard — and has been because it was launched three years in the past. It’s extra on par with the MacBook Air in efficiency, that includes the identical baseline M-series chip whereas including a fan for dealing with sustained workloads, but it carries the “Professional” moniker and retains its unique design, together with the love-it-or-hate-it Contact Bar. Its June 2022 M2 refresh was virtually a non-event, and except Apple has one thing new up its sleeve, the M3 model will possible be extra of the identical.
Thus far, the 13-inch MacBook Professional and MacBook Air have stayed barely forward of the higher-end fashions, because the M1 and M2 chips arrived a number of months earlier than their Professional/Max counterparts got here alongside. Nevertheless, there’s a great probability that Apple is finished with that phased method and could also be getting ready to roll out its total M3 silicon lineup in a single fell swoop, presumably even updating the Mac mini and MacBook Air. That final one is much less possible from every little thing we’ve heard, but it surely’s not totally out of the query.
Both means, with Apple holding a full occasion, it’s a secure wager that it is going to be an thrilling time for Mac updates, with a number of new M3-equipped Macs, not less than a few of which will likely be higher-profile updates. Mark your calendars!