What could Tim Cook have up his sleeve for Apple’s October 16 launch event?
The Apple CEO should take the stage at the Cupertino company’s Town Hall Auditorium and will likely show off the latest additions to its iPad and iMac line, as well as the new OS X Yosemite operating system.
In the formal invitation to the “special event,” Apple included a somewhat cryptic “It’s been way too long” tagline below what appears to be part of the Mac 30th anniversary logo.
Apple will live stream the event on their site at 1:00 p.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. PDT).
Here is a quick run down of Apple might reveal next week.
iPads
Three iPads have been rumored — the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3, and a 12.9-inch screen iPad Pro — and Apple are almost certainly going to release at least the iPad Air 2.
In terms of looks, the iPad Air 2 will retain the form factor of its predecessor, the iPad Air, but with some minor tweaks to the buttons and speakers.
The thinner tablet (the iPad Air 2 is expected to be only 7mm thick) will include Touch ID tech, spot a better camera, and will have a gold-colored variant.
Tim Cook could spring a rabbit by announcing the new iPad Mini and large screen iPad, but rumors point to a 2015 unveiling for both products.
iMacs
Expect Apple to announce updates such as new Intel Broadwell processors and AMD graphic cards to its 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac.
There have been rumors floating about that both models will get 5K resolution displays, but tech tipster Jack March insists that only the 27-inch model will get a Retina HD 5120 x 2880p display.
March also claims that the iMacs with Broadwell processors will only ship next year, and by that time, the 21.5-inch model could also get a Retina display.
OS X Yosemite
The OS X Yosemite beta is already in the Golden Master version, which is the final beta before the public launch.
Barring any major bugs, OS X Yosemite GM will be no different from the public release, so Apple should be more than ready to release their latest Mac OS to the world on October 16.
OS X Yosemite will feature a flatter UI and some updates to how core apps like Mail, Safari, and Messages work.
The most promising new feature is undoubtedly Continuity, which is Apple’s first attempt to integrate Mac desktop OS with iOS.
For instance, with the “Handoff” feature in Continuity, iPhone users will be able to transfer phone calls to their Mac devices.
12-inch MacBook Air?
Apple could announce a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.
The rumored laptop reportedly features a fanless design, redesigned chassis, iPhone 6 colors, and a new reversible USB Type C charging port.
iPods?
It has been 394 days since Apple last refreshed its iPod line, according to Cult of Mac, but Apple could just shake it up.
With the iPod Classic recently retired and the iPhones capable of doing everything an iPod could do and more, there seems little hope of a new iPod, but Apple’s “It’s been a long time” tease does raise the probability some what.
Apple TV?
An even more antiquated piece of Apple tech is Apple TV, which hasn’t seen an update for over 900 days.
In a recent interview with Charlie Rose, Tim Cook brought up television and reaffirmed Apple’s “great interest” in a piece of technology that is “stuck in the ‘70s.”
Perhaps Apple will restore some luster to a product that has been languishing hardware wise since January 2013.
Mac Mini?
9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman picked up the link between the Mac 30th anniversary logo and that on the formal invitation, and summed up: “new Macs indeed.”
With more than 700 days since its last update, Apple’s “next big thing” in desktop computing could just be something, well, mini.
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